power napping on raven glacier

So yesterday I drove 30 miles southeast of Anchorage, near the town of Girdwood, and parked at the Crow Pass Trail head. I hiked up the historic Iditarod trail to Raven Glacier; right next to Crow Pass. I left the trail and hiked along the south side of the glacier, making sure to hug the wall since walking on a glacier isn't the smartest thing to do (those crevasses will getcha every time!). I found a rocky outcropping and ventured out onto it. The weather up until this point had been about 50 degrees and rainy. But suddenly the clouds parted and the sun was shining. I laid down on the rocks, closed my eyes, and just listened. Glaciers actually make a lot of noise. There was the sound of water gurgling under the glacier, the sound of rocks clattering down the valley walls, and deep pops and groans as tons and tons of ice unperceivably inched forward, grinding rock into silt. It was so peaceful that I actually ended up taking a 30 minute power nap. When I woke up, cloud cover had moved in, the temperature had dropped, and visibility was terrible. I headed back the way I came and had little difficulty retracing my route. Unfortunately one part of my route had been quite precarious due to a very steep scree field that caused mini-avalanches on my ascent. And since its always harder to climb down than up, I wasn't too keen on trying that route again. Also unfortunate was the ever thickening cloud cover which had reduced my visibility to about 50 feet. So there I was, stuck on a cliff, unable to see in any direction. What is the best course of action in a situation like this? Sit and wait. Instead of panicking I decided this was an ideal time to inventory the snacks in my pack and have a little picnic while I waited for the cloud cover to thin out. And to take the photo posted above. Sure enough, about 30 minutes later, I could see well enough to pick a less hazardous route down. I'm sure there's some significant life lessons to be gleaned from all of this. And I'm sure you, the reader, are smart enough to pick out those little nuggets of wisdom.

On the hike back to my truck I also found an abandoned gold mine. The entrance was hidden by a giant boulder. But by squeezing around it I was able to get in. It was filled with water but by the sound of distant running water I could tell the mine went pretty far back. I toyed with the idea of swimming through the mine with my keychain flashlight but I'll admit that swimming alone in an unfamiliar pitch black mine was a little too adventurous for me! Luckily my brother will be moving out here in about 2 weeks, so I know exactly where our first adventure will be!!