Narrative Continued from Gallery 5…

Dick and Elna did some further exploring in the upper levels of the town, whereas Dawn and Johnny hiked several miles north along an old wagon road/trail to see the toe and side of the Root Glacier descending from the high mountain valleys of the range.  The weather was starting to deteriorate and rain setting in, so we turned back after a while and walked down across some cobble moraine to explore the toe of the glacier.  Seeing where the Kennicott and Root glaciers join and descend is a rather magnificent view.  Sightseeing planes flew overhead and other tour groups wore crampons for glacier hiking.  The guide groups out of Kennecott and McCarthy offer all kinds of tours and programs for any area of interest or ability.

The final morning we checked out and returned down the McCarthy Road the same way we came in.  We then took the scenic trip down through the alpine glacier valleys to the port town of Valdez at the end of the Richardson Highway.  The next day we headed due north across the Alaska Range to Delta Junction, then down the Tanana River Valley to the superb MHA Annual Mining History Conference in Fairbanks.

Coming from the mountains to the north, the Root Glacier joins with the Kennicott Glacier at Kennecott.  A two-mile hike takes you from the town to the exposed ice of the Root Glacier.	Dawn Johnsson is making the rainy day hike along the trail to the Root Glacier.
The Root Glacier with its medial moraine is in the foreground.  There is just a glimpse of the Kennicott Glacier in the distance.	Ice formations are exposed on the top of the Root Glacier.
Johnny Johnsson is standing on the slippery top of the toe of the Root Glacier.  They did not have crampons.	The melt water is draining from the toe of the Root Glacier and into the moraine.
The hike back from the glacier provides another view of the Kennecott Concentration Mill and the upper (northern) part of the town including the Electrical Shop (far left) and storage buildings.