Ice and cold toes!

This is one of the glaciers that are part of the Columbia Ice Fields. It is mammoth and yet much smaller than in years past. As we drove in to the base of the glacier there were markers that showed where the end of the glacier was in a specific year. The earliest marker I saw was 1850. From there it was at least a mile drive to the glacier viewing area and another mile walk to get on the ice.

The terrain where the glacier had been was starkly different than the terrain Ms Katie and I had just driven through. There were no shades of green, there was no vegitation; just barren rock and mounds of stones and dirt. There were random cuts in the earth, made either from receeding ice or flowing water. It reminded me of a strip mine - how powerful water can be, in any of it's forms. It was odd to drive around a bend, turn left onto a dirt road and look like you were in a different world.

Wouldn't ya know, the only other person wandering around on the ice fields in flip flops was from Tempe!!