Parting Words on the Harding Icefield
Alaska 2016 - Part 9
…continued from The Shores of Kodiak Island
I was set to fly out tomorrow, finally, after two unforgettable months in the Last Frontier. But there was one thing left to do first, a day hike idea that brought me to the edge of the Kenai Fjords National Park.
Known for its 38 glaciers and numerous fjords along the south coast, the park encompasses a huge section of the Kenai Peninsula just west of Seward. It is a two hour drive out of Anchorage to the trailhead of the Harding Icefield Trail, a steep four mile climb of 3,000 feet to the edge of the Harding Icefield. From there, hikers can see across a huge 300 square mile field of snow.
I parked a rental car at the trailhead and hiked for hours, exhausted, up this seemingly endless four mile climb. Hard as it was, the view of the glacier, the valley behind, and numerous lupine and fireweed patches distracted me just enough. Soon, I walked along a huge scree slope across occasional patches of snow. The massive Exit Glacier descended down the valley to my left.
Finally, I reached the ridge above the snowfield and the end of the trail. There was snow as far as the eye could see.
On the edge of this vast wilderness of ice, snow, wind and stone; after hundreds of miles, pictures and memories; only now looking out ahead did I finally understand that my great Alaskan journey was coming to a close. And not to be continued in the foreseeable future. Because even though I could spend a lifetime exploring the wonders of this great wilderness, I couldn't deny the fact that there was even more out there beyond the borders of this state and this country.
And with certainty, I can say that I went to Alaska because I wanted to see the high mountains, and I left wanting to see the rest of the world.
On that note, after spending a few more moments in my thoughts, I descended down the mountainside, turning what would become the next page of an adventurer's tale.
Thanks for reading! This story begins in Denali National Park.