Glamorous Glacier

After being back in the state for a week, I drove to McCarthy to visit my friend Mark. The first thought was to bike in the McCarthy Road, and after 13 miles (of the 60 mile dirt road), and hurting my ankle, I decided it may not be the best choice. I turned around and drove in the 60 miles.

For those of you unfamiliar with McCarthy, you have to cross a foot bridge (2 in fact) to get to the small village. So I parked my car, and biked in from there (a short 2 miles :) Mark and I hiked out to a place called Erie Lake, off the Kenicott Glacier. The skies were blue and the temps perfect. Due to the fact we were on a glacier there were no bugs to speak of! What a treat in the Alaskan summers! Saturday we hiked to the icefalls of the glacier, and enjoyed even more bright skies. So bright in fact, I managed to burn my legs from top to bottom! To give you an idea, it was painful to squat to pee, and it felt like tiny needles pricklying my entire legs as I walked back through the brush on the way home! Note to self: don't leave home without the sunscreen!! As for the hiking itself, it was glorious, and despite very angry ankles, I enjoyed the trip and am looking forward to another trip to McCarthy later in the summer. Thanks for a fun trip Mark!