This is a photo of Root Glacier joining with Kennicott Glacier (in Wrangell-St Elias National Park). This was the view from our flight from Chitina to McCarthy. Specifically, you see the terminal moraines of these glaciers. It may look like just dirt, but it is actually a mixture of dirt and ice many feet thick.
It boggles my mind to think how glaciers have formed the valleys at places like Yosemite and all over Alaska. Great change often happens at such a slow pace that we barely notice it.
This was our lunch spot on a day we got up early to drive from Fairbanks to Wrangell-St Elias National Park. We found a picnic table here with this fantastic view. It seemed odd that there was a single table and toilet here and not much else. On the other hand, not much else was needed besides the view!
Often, you don’t have to look hard to find the beauty in creation!
This is a photo of Portage Lake on the Kenai Peninsula. It is named for Portage Pass which is to the left at the far end of the lake. Portage Pass was the route taken by miners and before that traders traveling from the Prince William Sound to Turnagain Arm. It was a trip of about 30 miles one way and typically took over 2 weeks. Portage Glacier once filled this valley but now has receded the to right of the far end of the lake. It was visible from this spot until the 1990s.
Change is inevitable in our world. Inevitable and the source amazing beauty.
The Mighty One, God the Lord, speaks and summons the earth from the rising of the sun to its setting. Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty, God shines forth.
Psalms 50:1-2
This is a view overlooking Horseshoe Lake in Denali National Park. The lake sits on the East side of the park, near the Nenana River. There were beavers at work in the lake; we saw a couple of them swimming through the water with small tree branches. Not sure we would have even noticed if there had not been signs pointing out the beaver dam.
How often do we miss noticing the “little joys” in our lives?
It was an odd experience approaching this glacier in Kenai Fjords National Park. You could hear all of this ice banging off of the bottom of the ship. We were fairly far from the glacier, so these were relatively small pieces of ice. We could see large chunks of ice breaking off the glacier and were told that they were the size of a bus!
It was hard to keep a perspective on sizes and distances in Alaska. The same thing happens in our lives: things “close” to us seem much larger (more important). How to keep things in proper perspective? Reflection. Humility. Prayer.
This is a photo of Savage River, where we did our first hike in Denali. It was also the farthest (15 miles) you could drive a private vehicle into the park without a special permit (available through a lottery). We took the bus further into the park the next day. I recently heard that the road is now completely closed at mile 43 due to a landslide. This is not a new problem; it is actually a rock glacier which has been moving since the 1960’s. This summer, the rate of movement increased to 10 inches per day!
In the Gospel, we are told about the importance of building on solid ground. The parable is about a house, but it obviously applies to roads as well!
Signs Along the Way 