Travel Trivia #8 - Ice Caves

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Welcome to my Travel Trivia & Facts Series. Come and travel with me around the world to find fun, informative, and out of this world information about traveling and exploring different places around the world.

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You can find a cave inside a glacier in Mendenhall Valley

Where can you find the Mendenhall Ice Caves?

Mendenhall Glacier

Inside the Mendenhall Glacier is a stunning ice formation that is around 13 miles long. This Glacier used to have two names: Aak’wtaaks!it, which means “Glacier Behind the Lake” and Sitaantaagu, which means “Glacier behind the Town.”

As per Wiki, a glacier is a persistent body of dense ice that is constantly moving under its own weight; it forms where the accumulation of snow exceeds its ablation (melting and sublimation) over many years, often centuries.

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You can find the stunning ice caves inside the glacier. It has astounded and mesmerized tourists and locals alike. The blue color inside the caves is due to the air being compressed from the frozen ice and snow. Then the ice absorbs all colors except the blue one. The melting water beneath the glacier makes and forms new caves.

How to Get to the Ice Caves

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There are a lot of outside forces when going in this trip, which make it death-defying and exciting. During the summer, you’ll have to go through dripping water, falling rocks, fast-moving streams and unstable traction.

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The trek has unmarked trails so it is highly recommended that you have a guide to go with you. Those who don’t usually have guides ended up getting lost and ended up getting injured and accidents. There have been quite a number of them who had to be rescued every year. Having an experienced guide helps because they are more familiar with the weather conditions of the valley, they knows what gears to bring, knows the trails and also the condition of the ice caves.

Things to Keep in Mind

1. Expect that going back and forth the caves could take up to eight hours or more depending on the weather.

2. Beginners are very much discouraged to go since you got to have enough stamina to climb and scramble on the slippery terrains and this can take hours. If you don’t have any experience make sure that you are mentally and physically ready for this trip.

3. Wear proper footwear. Most recommended are waterproof hiking boots.

4. You’ll also need crampons in climbing and walking in ice.

Crampons are devices that are attached underneath the footwear to help in mobility when walking on ice and snow.

5. Best that your clothes are polypro or any clothing that is quick-dry. Weather can easily change from warm to chilly.

6. Bring an extra set of clothing.

7. Bring enough food and water.

8. Signal is scarce. Make sure someone knows where you’re headed and your expected return.

Bye! Bye!

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The glacier is now continuously moving quickly because of global warming and high temperatures. The Juneau Icefield Research Program has been monitoring and looking at the Mendenhall Glacier since 1942 and they’ve found out that the glacier has moved around two miles. Eventually the ice caves will melt and eventually recede so best that you check it out before it does. ♥

Info source is from Atlas Obscura and Travel Juneau All images are from Atlas Obscura Thumbnail is from Divergent Travelers