After lunching at the Denali State Park, which is a couple hours south of the national park, we continued to head south toward Wasilla and Palmer.  We had hoped we would get down there early enough to do sled dog rides at the Iditarod Headquarters but we didn't arrive until about 5:45 pm (rides end at 5:30).  But the Iditarod museum was still open so we explored there and figured we might circle back by on Wednesday if the kids really want to try out the sled dog ride.  We watched a short film about the history of the Iditarod and the race and learned about Lance Mackey, the current champion and three time winner - 2007, 2008, and 2009.  It was really interesting since none of us had much prior knowledge of the sport. 

We called ahead and made a reservation at the Grand View Camp for tonight so we needed to get moving to get there by 10 pm when they close for the night. Because it doesn't get dark here, there is really no sense of urgency about time and all of a sudden each night we realize how late it is!  But it has been wonderful to relax and be able to "lose track of time".  We headed east on the Glenn Highway toward the Matanuska area.  We have plans to embark on a 6 hour climb on the glacier tomorrow so we wanted to be sure to stay close by.  The views on the Glenn Highway were stunning and the road was slow going.  We finally arrived at Grand View at 9:45 pm. While the view surrounding the camp is 360 degrees of mountains, the camp itself is nothing special to look at.  It did however have three exciting features that the pristine Denali National Park didn't - laundry facilities, electricity/water hookups, and Wi-Fi!  All the creature comforts....

As soon as we were situated, Jonna high-tailed it to start the 10 days worth of laundry the four of us have accumulated while Mark mobilized the kids.  We enjoyed a quiet evening of hiking on the gorgeous trail behind the camp, playing on the teeter-totter, and playing horseshoes while the laundry was going.  Finally, we ate dinner at 11 pm and Jonna went back to laundry duties.  At midnight, the laundry was completed and the kids and Jonna headed back to the site experiencing a magnificent 12:30 am sunset behind the mountains.  Wow!  Tomorrow is ice climbing, so we are off to bed!

This morning was our exciting day to ice climb on the Matanuska Glacier.  Jonna learned about this place a few months ago and was intrigued with the idea of ice climbing so we reserved spots to give it a go on the 6 hour climbing adventure.  The Mica Guides are located just a few miles from where we camped last night so we headed over arriving at 9 AM to be outfitted for the adventure!  Matt Windsor, a New Zealander, was our guide and he helped to ensure that we had the proper supplies for the trek.  It was just the four of us with Matt and we were grateful to have his full, individualized attention.  Matt is an avid climber and hiker, who has scaled Mt. McKinley, climbs frozen waterfalls, and works summer months on both sides of the equator year-round (bouncing above/below the equator each 6 months -- he's off to a glacier in Patagonia Argentina next).  We each had to carry four layers of clothing as the glacier makes its own weather and can quickly turn cold or rainy.  Luckily, today was gorgeous like every day of the trip so far (sunny and breezy; 80 degrees) and remained that way throughout the day, though we had some cold spells out on the glacier.   In addition to the four layers, we had a climbing harness, thick "dishwashing-type" gloves to protect our hands, helmets, and 10 pound boots with spiked crampons (which we attached to our boots once on the glacier).   We each carried our own backpack, which weighed 5+ pounds and contained lunch, water, camera, and other essentials.  So we were pretty bulked up and weighted down.

We drove a few minutes over to the Glacier Park from the Mica Guide location and then walked about 25 minutes out to the glacier before stopping to put on our crampons.  As we walked atop the enormous, jagged rock field, it was interesting to know that we were actually already atop the thick slab of ice - it was just covered with rocks and silt that had come up from the bottom of the glacier as the top layers melted.  The Matanuska Glacier is 27 miles long by 4 miles wide and sits in a valley surrounded by fantastic mountains and cliffs!  The mass is in constant motion, moving about one foot per day.   We hiked below the Line of Equilibrium, which is the line on a glacier where there is more melting each year than accumulation.  As it turns out, we didn't know as much as we thought about glaciers when the day began; and we were intrigued to learn much more from Matt during many conversations along our hike. 

As we got started with crampons attached, Matt taught us how to walk effectively on flat surfaces as well as up and down hills.  Navigating up and down is counter to what you would normally do (foot placement, where to place your body weight), so it took a little thought not to slip, stumble or fall down as we learned.  When we arrived at our first climb site, we learned how to dig the front of the boot crampons into the ice so that you stand vertically with your foot perpendicular to an ice cliff as you "walk" up it, constantly moving your feet higher.  After practicing that drill, we learned how to use the ice axes - one in each hand.  It was harder to get used to than you'd think.  You strike the ice high above your head and then use your arm strength to pull yourself up while using your feet to stabilize.  Finally, we were ready for our first climb up an ice wall about 30 feet high.   We sent Grayson up first because he was the most excited and frankly, we thought he had the best chance of making it!  He scampered up like a mountain goat in a few minutes - no problem.  Jonna went next - She was thinking she could claim she didn't have as much experience watching in case she didn't make it.  She worked hard and made it to the top also.  The pressure was then on for Mark and he made it also.  Darby wasn't that excited about trying this activity, but she was such a great sport about giving it a go that we were so proud of her.  Surprising us all, she also made it to the summit!  Go Darby!  Matt moved the ropes to the other side of the same ice cliff, where the ice wall was steeper and had a ledge at the top of it making it more difficult to get to the top.  Grayson again went first and made it, but with a bit more difficulty.  Jonna went and about called it quits at the ledge but Matt coaxed her to try a bit harder and make it over.  She did it!  After we all gave that a whirl, we took a break and learned more technique from Matt.  We tried the difficult side of the climb again and then decided to hike the glacier for a bit to find another site.

The glacier is in constant motion and we heard a thunderous movement today as we walked -- kind of like a distant roar of thunder.  It was not particularly dangerous where we were today, but it is important to respect the glacier.  Matt showed us giant hole in the ice mass called a moulin (French for "mill") which is a "toilet-bowl" type of icy funnel which gradually becomes narrow, tubular chute or crevasse worn in the ice by surface water and carries large amounts of melted ice from the surface to the base far below (1,000-3,000 feet!).  A moulin can be up to 35 feet wide wide and is typically found at a flat area of a glacier in a region of transverse crevasses.  The one we saw was wide enough so that if someone fell in it would be a no-rescue deadly situation.  We also saw a crevasse that was just beginning, but wide enough for a child to fall through.   Matt secured each of us via a rope so we could peek over the edge and look down into the crevasse -- it seemed like it went to the center of the earth!  It is not required to hire a guide to walk over the glacier, but it was sure nice to have an expert with us who was a wealth of knowledge both of climbing and glaciers.  There are many danger points scattered throughout the mammoth natural wonder and it's important to respect Mother Nature, especially in a remote, unmonitored area like this one.

We arrived at another climb site that looked even more challenging!  It was about 50 feet high and straight up with a small lip at the top to scale in order to reach the summit.  Grayson went first again - our little guinea pig - and he did well, reaching the top within several minutes.  We all made it up so much quicker this time - I guess the techniques Matt had taught us were starting to sink in.  Matt is a very thorough and patient teacher.  It was so much fun and the 6.5 hour day on the glacier was winding down quickly.  It was the perfect amount of time for the trek -- we weren't rushed and each of us had ample time to try everything.  By the time we got back to the Mica station (situated in a mountainside yurt, which is a Mongolian tent structure) around 5:30 PM, we could barely lift our feet as those 10 pound boots felt like 50 pound concrete blocks.  We finally made it back via RV to our campsite where we all crashed and declared tomorrow to be a day of relaxation.   All included, the hike was approximately 4-5 miles around the glacier which doesn't sound like much, but with the extra gear and clothing and the climbing mixed in, we were pooped! 

After a few hours of recuperation, we each shared stories of the scrapes, bumps, and bruises we accumulated throughout the day as we enjoyed burgers and some relaxing family time at the picnic table under the amazing Alaskan skies and beautiful mountain backdrop.  This was one of our best Blount Adventures yet!

Because of our sore muscles from ice climbing yesterday, we decided last night to sleep in and have an “easy” day today.  After re-organizing and tidying up the RV, and washing clothes, we headed out late morning.  The last two nights we stayed right near the Matanuska Glacier which is about 50 miles east of Palmer.  Because of road construction, it took about 1.5 hours to get back to the Palmer area.  Jonna usually has a full itinerary and so we're not used to just allowing a day to “unfold” ... so this was a new and relaxing experience for us all. 

Mark drove the RV with Grayson as the co-pilot in the passenger seat listening to the Braves/Cubs game on the iPhone, while Jonna took a much needed nap in the back.  We ended up about 20 miles north of Palmer in a beautiful area called Hatcher Pass.  It is the place where the Chugach and the Talkeetna Mountain ranges converge and the scenery there is fantastic!  Our destination in Hatcher Pass was the Independence Mine State Historical Park.  It was here that gold was first discovered in 1886. From this location, prospectors spread into the Susitna and Matanuska river basins, testing the creeks in the nearby mountains for their fortunes.

They found hard rock (lode) gold scattered in quartz veins throughout the granite in the Talkeetna Mountains. These veins were created by hydrothermal action that filled fractures in the rock.  Erosion loosened flakes of gold, and flowing water eventually washed the gold-bearing gravel into a stream.  The rough-textured gold found in the bottom of pans and sluice boxes hinted at something more -- a nearby source, or mother lode.

Robert Lee Hatcher discovered and staked the first lode gold claim in the Willow Creek Valley in September 1906 and the Alaska-Pacific Consolidated Mining Company (APC) was created in 1938. In its peak year, 1941, APC employed 204 men, blasted nearly a dozen miles of tunnels, and produced 34,416 ounces of gold worth over $1.2M; today that's over $17M. In 1943, Independence Mine was ordered to close due to WWII war efforts, but it re-opened in 1946. Gold mining was slow to recover because after the war, gold could be sold only to the U.S. government at a fixed rate of $35 per ounce. Postwar inflation raged, and gold mining became an unprofitable venture. In January of 1951, after mining nearly 6 million dollars' worth of gold, Independence Mine was closed by APC, and a chapter of Alaska's gold mining history came to an end.  In the late 1970's, 271 acres of land were donated to the Alaska Division of Parks & Outdoor Recreation for establishment of Independence Mine State Historical Park.

We toured the Visitor’s Center and the entire mining complex, learning all about the mining process and the lives the miners led.  The kids were given pans to try their hand at gold panning and they tried relentlessly for a while.  Before wading into the stream, they learned the difference between various rocks that sometimes masquerade as gold -- “Fool’s Gold”.  Even after giving it their best effort, only Fool's Gold was found.

At about 4:30 pm, we headed out and decided that instead of driving to Seward tonight, we would camp nearby and get an early start tomorrow.  We noticed the sign for the “World’s Best Ice Cream” at a place called Turner’s Corner so we felt obligated to verify this claim.  The kids gave the ice cream two thumbs up so I guess their claim is authenticated!  Back in Palmer, we found a campground called the Homestead Campground and made camp for the night.  It isn’t really too much like camping to have all the modern conveniences of an RV, but it sounded good to us! 

Grayson and Jonna took a hike behind the campground where moose are often grazing in the streams, but none were to be seen tonight.  After a fun family dinner (Mark cooked chicken on our grill) and game of Uno, we turned in for the night.  A wonderfully relaxing day of vacation!