Grewingk Glacier

In August 2010, we did a three-day, two-night backpack trip in Kachemak Bay State Park, Alaska. John was 57 and I was 56.

We could see the state park from the campground where we were staying in Homer, Alaska. We were planning to start our trip the following day. Only problem was, Kachemak Bay was in the way.

We could either fly or take a water taxi to get there. We took a taxi. It seemed incongruous to begin a hike to a glacier with a beach landing. The captain initially told us, “Get ready to hop off. Time it with the swells.” The look on my face caused him to rethink the plan. Fortunately for me, he was able to sneak up to the beach close enough that I was able to step off the boat into shallow water.

It was a relief to be off the boat and walking under our own power.

The weather was wonderful! Mostly sunny with enough wind that bugs were not too much of a problem.

The closer we got, the better the views of the Grewingk Glacier.

Hiking to the Grewingk Glacier involves crossing the broad, deep and fast-moving Grewingk Creek. Fortunately, there is a tram. It was my first ride on a tram. It might show on my face.

We camped quite close to the glacier that night. The next morning, we passed by Grewingk Lake.

Air tours of the area are common, so we grew accustomed to hearing engine sounds overhead but were perplexed by the sound of an engine very close by and at ground level. We discovered a float plane had just landed on nearby Grewingk Lake and was taxiing to shore to pick up other backpackers.

We backtracked some until reaching the junction with the Alpine Ridge Trail. We had planned to hike up the ridge and camp above treeline. We had been warned that there was no water on the ridge but that there was a small creek just before the trail started to ascend. I didn’t feel comfortable relying on a small creek, so we stopped at Grewingk Creek and cooked supper. I then carried enough water to see us through breakfast (I’m glad I did, as the creek was shallow and muddy).

We continued up the steep, often muddy, often brushy trail. It took longer than expected, and it would be getting dark soon. We decided to stop at the first likely spot. But between the steep sides of the ridge and the dense brush and trees, it was challenging to find a spot big enough for our tent. We were finally able to eke out a space just barely big enough for our tent nestled under the branches of a large evergreen tree.

The next day, we did a day hike the rest of the way to the top of the ridge and the open tundra. I wished we could have camped there the previous night. It would have been a much more scenic place to wake up than the cold, muddy spot we had been lucky enough to find. There was a view of the glacier …

… and Kachemak Bay.

On our hike out the next day, we heard a helicopter. Then we saw it in the distance. We could just barely see that it was hauling something large. We wondered briefly what it was carrying but soon stopped thinking about it.

We arrived at the dock where the water taxi would pick us up a few hours early. However, a simple cell phone call enabled us to request an earlier one. The boat captain was able to tell us what the helicopter was hauling. That morning, a small plane carrying tourists had landed on the Grewingk Glacier. Apparently, it had hit a crevasse and flipped over. Fortunately, no one was seriously hurt. The helicopter was hauling the airplane out, upside down.

All photos from this trip are on Flickr.