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| Sitting on the edge |
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| The terminus of the now grounded Lamplugh |
This hike is for the extremers, the 'go get em' bunch that doesn't mind some dizzying heights, near vertical scrambles, and some steep dropoffs. If that sounds like you then keep reading. If not then maybe check out a calmer post about my
first visit to Glacier Bay National Park three years ago.
In the heart of Glacier Bay National Park there is Lamplugh Glacier. I have heard about the ridge hike which starts from the lookers left side of the glacier for years, but until recently I had never gotten a chance to tackle it myself. Last week I took a hard charging group of hikers from my boat, the Safari Quest, to see just how high we could make it, and what kind of views we could get.
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| Human Totem Pole at the top |
For parts of the hike there is a worn trail. The views of the glacier expanding below you, and of all the mountain range extending as far as you can see are more and more breathtaking the higher you get. We climbed to a spot where the obvious trail ends. Then with no prodding needed we continued to scramble out way higher. There are multiple peaks along the ridgeline so the next destination is always pretty obvious and there are lots of clear cut ending points whenever you are ready.
After we had a few peaks under our belt the view of the glacier changed. We were able to see the top of the glacier extended off into the horizon. From here the top of the glacier looked more like a snow covered field than the deep blue crevasse filled terminus. It was fun pushing ourselves and seeing a very different view of a glacier I have been visiting for three years. The lupine were starting to bloom so I imagine in a couple of weeks the entire hillside will be lit up by purple wildflowers. If you only have a change for one hike in the west arm of Glacier Bay then this should be it. If you are trying to figure out how to hike here in the first place...it's not easy. You have to come either by your own personal boat or kayak, or with one of the companies that does adventurous stuff like this in Glacier Bay, the only one of which that I know is Uncruise Adventures.
They say coming down is the toughest part, and they would be right, although everyone did it in style and remained safe. The Lamplugh Glacier ridge line hike....check and check.
In the heart of Glacier Bay National Park there is Lamplugh Glacier. I have heard about the ridge hike which starts from the lookers left side of the glacier for years, but until recently I had never gotten a chance to tackle it myself. Last week I took a hard charging group of hikers from my boat, the Safari Quest, to see just how high we could make it, and what kind of views we could get.
For parts of the hike there is a worn trail. The views of the glacier expanding below you, and of all the mountain range extending as far as you can see are more and more breathtaking the higher you get. We climbed to a spot where the obvious trail ends. Then with no prodding needed we continued to scramble out way higher. There are multiple peaks along the ridgeline so the next destination is always pretty obvious and there are lots of clear cut ending points whenever you are ready.
They say coming down is the toughest part, and they would be right, although everyone did it in style and remained safe. The Lamplugh Glacier ridge line hike....check and check. 
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