{"id":7160,"date":"2016-12-16T08:10:57","date_gmt":"2016-12-16T15:10:57","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/adventuresoflupe.com\/?p=7160"},"modified":"2019-04-23T21:59:20","modified_gmt":"2019-04-24T03:59:20","slug":"the-worthington-glacier-alaska-8-11-16","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/adventuresoflupe.com\/?p=7160","title":{"rendered":"The Worthington Glacier, Alaska (8-11-16)"},"content":{"rendered":"

Days 12 & 13 of Lupe’s Summer of 2016 Dingo Vacation to the Canadian Rockies, Yukon & Alaska.<\/em><\/p>\n

Lupe’s adventures in the Yukon were done for now.\u00a0 Only yesterday, she’d enjoyed an\u00a0epic day climbing Mount Decoeli<\/a><\/span> (7,650 ft.)<\/span><\/strong> in Kluane National Park.\u00a0 From afar, she had seen Canada’s highest mountain, Mount Logan<\/a><\/span> (19,541 ft.)<\/span><\/strong>.\u00a0 Today was\u00a0going to be a\u00a0well-deserved\u00a0day of rest for the Carolina Dog.\u00a0 Lupe would spend much of it snoozing\u00a0in the G6, while SPHP drove N.<\/p>\n

Lupe was on her way to Alaska!<\/p>\n

\"Lupe's<\/a>
Lupe’s morning on 8-10-16 started near Kluane Lake in Kluane National Park in the Yukon. Mount Decoeli, which Lupe had climbed the day before, is seen here on the far (L) across Kluane Lake. Photo looks SE.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"<\/a>
Lupe at Kluane Lake in the Yukon. Photo looks SSE.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Lupe and SPHP made frequent stops along the way.\u00a0 Sometimes\u00a0Lupe stopped\u00a0at scenic highlights.\u00a0 More often, SPHP was forced to stop\u00a0due to road construction.\u00a0 The Alaska Highway\u00a0had buckled and heaved in many places.\u00a0 Lupe & SPHP spent a good deal of time following pilot cars across dusty, torn-up, sections of road.\u00a0 All the way,\u00a0fascinating Yukon scenery was right outside the window of the G6.<\/p>\n

\"Mountains<\/a>
Mountains of the Saint Elias range. Not a bad bit of scenery to enjoy while waiting for the pilot car to appear! Photo looks SW.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

When Lupe crossed the mighty Donjek River, SPHP was stuck following a pilot car and couldn’t stop.\u00a0 Farther N, she did get to stop and see the White River.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/a>
The vast floodplain of the White River. Photo looks downstream toward the NE.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The frost-heaved road, and all the construction made driving slow, but there was no real hurry.\u00a0 By early afternoon, Lupe reached the border crossing from Canada into Alaska.\u00a0 SPHP was disappointed when there was no colorful “Welcome to Alaska!” sign Lupe could pose by, only a dull, wordy, official sign at U.S.\u00a0customs.\u00a0 Oh well, at least there were no problems crossing the border.<\/p>\n

Just being in Alaska was exciting!\u00a0 Lupe had technically already been to a tiny piece of Alaska at Hyder on her way to see the Salmon Glacier<\/strong><\/a><\/span>, but now she was about to travel hundreds of miles across America’s largest, wildest, and most remote state.\u00a0 The feeling was almost spine-tingling.\u00a0 Who knew what adventures awaited Lupe in the Last Frontier State?<\/p>\n

At Tok, Lupe left the Alaska Highway when SPHP turned S on the Tok Cut-off.\u00a0 Near the SW end of the Tok Cut-off, Lupe got to see the Copper River from a high bluff.\u00a0 If there hadn’t been so many clouds, Lupe might also have seen\u00a0some of the giant snow and ice-capped peaks in Wrangell – St. Elias National Park & Preserve<\/strong><\/a><\/span>.<\/p>\n

\"Lupe<\/a>
Lupe at the Copper River in Alaska. Photo looks W or SW in the downstream direction.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"The<\/a>
The Copper River from a pullout along the Tok Cut-off. Clouds prevented Lupe from seeing giant snow-capped peaks to the S in Wrangell – St. Elias National Park & Preserve. Photo looks upstream.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Near Gulkana, Lupe reached the Richardson Highway (No. 4).\u00a0 SPHP took it going\u00a0S toward Valdez.\u00a0 By late evening, Lupe was approaching the Worthington Glacier.\u00a0 It was an impressive sight, even from the highway!<\/p>\n

\"Upper<\/a>
Upper reaches of the Worthington Glacier as seen from the Richardson Highway. Photo looks WSW.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"\"<\/a>
Worthington Glacier. Photo looks WSW using the telephoto lens.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Lupe’s long day of rest traveling through the Yukon into Alaska was almost over.\u00a0 Tomorrow she would have several options,\u00a0among them\u00a0the Worthington Glacier Ridge Trail.\u00a0 Where she would go would be decided tomorrow morning.\u00a0 Until then, Lupe and SPHP\u00a0settled in for the night.<\/p>\n

The next morning did not bring good news.\u00a0 The sky was socked in with low clouds.\u00a0 A light mist was falling.\u00a0 Conditions did not seem conducive to a hike near the Worthington Glacier.\u00a0 SPHP drove over Thompson Pass\u00a0toward Valdez.\u00a0 In Keystone Canyon, many amazing, beautiful waterfalls tumbled down the mountainsides.\u00a0 Lupe stopped briefly for a closer look\u00a0at Bridal Veil Falls and Horsetail Falls.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Bridal Veil Falls in Keystone Canyon.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"\"<\/a>
Lupe at Horsetail Falls.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Lupe<\/a>
Lupe at the base of Horsetail Falls. Both Bridal Veil Falls and Horsetail Falls can be viewed from pullouts along the Richardson Highway in Keystone Canyon on the way to Valdez. They are no more than 0.5 mile apart, but on opposite sides of the highway.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

By the time Lupe reached Valdez, it was raining harder.\u00a0 The rain wasn’t heavy, but it was steady.\u00a0 With the rain falling, there wasn’t any urgency to do anything outdoors.\u00a0 SPHP dropped by the local Safeway store, and bought a roasted chicken to share with Lupe.\u00a0 Oddly, she wasn’t hungry.\u00a0 She refused any chicken.\u00a0\u00a0That seemed strange, but OK.\u00a0 Lupe and SPHP watched the rain fall, while SPHP consumed part of the chicken.<\/p>\n

It was soon apparent why Lupe didn’t want any chicken.\u00a0 Without warning, she threw up.\u00a0 Poor, Loopster wasn’t feeling well!\u00a0 SPHP cleaned up her soiled blanket, then took Lupe out for a short walk in the rain to let her get anything else bad out of her system.\u00a0 She seemed to feel better.<\/p>\n

There were a couple of awesome adventures near Valdez that SPHP was hoping Lupe might be able to do.\u00a0 One was to take the trail to Shoup Bay<\/a><\/strong><\/span> to see the Shoup Glacier and Kittiwake rookery.\u00a0 To do the whole trail was a long day hike, but maybe Lupe could do it tomorrow, if the weather cleared up.<\/p>\n

The other adventure\u00a0had been\u00a0suggested by Richard Baker, whom Lupe had met on Mount Decoeli in the Yukon.\u00a0 Richard had highly recommended taking\u00a0a cruise on Prince William Sound aboard the\u00a0Lu-Lu Belle<\/strong><\/a><\/span> to see the Columbia Glacier, the second largest tidewater glacier in North America.\u00a0 Whales, eagles and other wildlife are sometimes seen from the Lu-Lu Belle, too.<\/p>\n

Lupe had to wait in the G6, while SPHP\u00a0went into the Lu-Lu Belle office to inquire about the Columbia Glacier tour.\u00a0 The receptionist was very courteous and friendly.\u00a0 She said the Lu-Lu Belle goes to the Columbia Glacier every day in season, pretty much regardless of the weather.\u00a0 The cost was $125 per person for an approximately 7 hour\u00a0long tour aboard the\u00a0luxury yacht.<\/p>\n

It all sounded wonderful!\u00a0 Time for the big question.\u00a0 What about Lupe?\u00a0 Bad news.\u00a0 Lupe couldn’t go.\u00a0 They had dog-sitting services available, but the tour was a no-go for poor\u00a0Looper.<\/p>\n

No doubt it would have been a fantastic excursion, but if Lupe wasn’t going on the Lu-Lu Belle, neither was SPHP.\u00a0 This isn’t The (Mostly) True Adventures of SPHP<\/em>, you know!\u00a0 So that was that, but before leaving the Lu-Lu Belle office, SPHP asked about the weather forecast.<\/p>\n

The receptionist looked up the Valdez forecast on her computer.\u00a0 100% chance of rain today and each of the next four days, then dropping to only 80%, 70%, and 40% for the\u00a0three following days.\u00a0 She then said it had already been raining in Valdez for 3 straight weeks.<\/p>\n

Yikes!\u00a0 That changed everything.\u00a0 Lupe and SPHP were willing to wait out a day or two of poor weather, but sitting around for more than a whole week of rain made no sense.\u00a0 SPHP returned to Lupe with the glum news.\u00a0 No Lu-Lu Belle, no Shoup Glacier, no Worthington Glacier.\u00a0 What to do?<\/p>\n

If the Alaskan coast was going to be socked in with rain for another week or more, the only thing SPHP could think of doing was to head back inland.\u00a0 It meant Lupe wouldn’t get to do any of the cool stuff near Valdez on this trip, but Alaska is a huge place.\u00a0 There were other adventures in store for\u00a0Lupe elsewhere.<\/p>\n

Unfortunately, there was no point in hanging around Valdez.\u00a0 Amid rain and mist, Lupe and SPHP left town to start the long drive inland again on the Richardson Highway.\u00a0 Once again, Lupe\u00a0traveled along\u00a0the Lowe River, up Keystone Canyon, past Horsetail, Bridal Veil, and lots of other gorgeous waterfalls.\u00a0 She crossed Thompson Pass, and took a last glance at the Worthington Glacier as SPHP drove on by.<\/p>\n

Wait a minute!\u00a0 The sky was still completely overcast, but only the tops of the mountains were in the clouds.\u00a0 The Worthington Glacier was in view.\u00a0 It was barely misting here.\u00a0 SPHP turned the G6 around.\u00a0 Lupe was going to get to see the Worthington Glacier after all!\u00a0 If the rain would hold off for only a\u00a0few hours, a little mist wouldn’t stop an American Dingo!<\/p>\n

SPHP drove back to the Worthington Glacier State Recreation Site.\u00a0\u00a0A dozen other vehicles were\u00a0in the parking lot.\u00a0 People were coming and going.\u00a0 Nearly all of them were taking\u00a0the short nature trail down to a viewpoint where the toe of the glacier could be seen.\u00a0 Nice, but not what Lupe had come for.<\/p>\n

Lupe was here to take the much longer Worthington Glacier Ridge Trail, which goes W for a mile and a half, or more,\u00a0on a ridge S of the glacier.\u00a0 Lupe and SPHP could see a couple hikers coming down the ridge trail.\u00a0 When they got to the start of the trail at the parking lot, SPHP talked to them.\u00a0 How were conditions up on the ridge?\u00a0 How far had they gone?\u00a0 Was anyone else up there right now?<\/p>\n

Conditions were cloudy, a bit damp and rainy\u00a0at times.\u00a0 They had\u00a0made it\u00a0all the way to what they considered the end of the trail.\u00a0 The glacier views were spectacular.\u00a0 Not another soul was up on the trail now.\u00a0 They were the last ones down.<\/p>\n

Wonderful, that settled it!\u00a0 Lupe and SPHP started up the ridge.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Lupe starts up the Worthington Glacier Ridge Trail. Photo looks W.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The Worthington Glacier Ridge Trail\u00a0began climbing\u00a0along the\u00a0top of a very narrow ridge with steep sides.\u00a0 To the S (L) was a very green valley of mixed alder and tundra.\u00a0 To the N (R) was the valley the Worthington Glacier flows down.\u00a0\u00a0The trail followed the ridgeline W.\u00a0 As Lupe gained elevation, the views of the Worthington Glacier up ahead became progressively more impressive.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/a>
The very green mixed alder and tundra valley on the S (L) side of the trail is shown well here. Part of the trail leaves the ridge near unstable cliffs to travel safely through this valley a little way before returning to the ridge. Lupe loved the green valley, but there were mosquitoes down there. They weren’t too bad. Up on the ridge, a breeze blew them away. Photo looks W.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"As<\/a>
As Lupe climbed, the views of the Worthington Glacier steadily improved. The big rounded hump seen ahead on the L looked like it might be the end of the trail. Photo looks WNW.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"\"<\/a>
The Worthington Glacier has two arms, separated by the ridge of rock seen on the upper R. Near the lower end of the glacier, both arms drop steeply as seen here. A little farther up, the glacier is one big river of ice. Photo looks NW.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"\"<\/a>
Gotta love that beautiful blue glacier ice!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The ridge trail left the ridge temporarily to bypass dangerous cliffs.\u00a0 It entered the green valley of mixed alders and tundra.\u00a0 There were a few mosquitoes down here to deal with, but they weren’t too bad.\u00a0 They were pretty much limited to the valley on this day.\u00a0 A breeze kept them from being much of a bother up on the ridge.<\/p>\n

Lupe loved the green valley!\u00a0 SPHP thought it was great, too.\u00a0 The valley was full of wildflowers.\u00a0 The tiny, delicate plants growing on the tundra were fascinating.\u00a0 They were so incredibly varied and\u00a0colorful!<\/p>\n

\"Bright<\/a>
Bright wildflowers in the lush green valley S of the ridge.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"For<\/a>
For Lupe, the beautiful green valley was one of her favorite parts of the whole Worthington Glacier Ridge Trail. The glacier isn’t in view here, but it can be seen from virtually everywhere else on the ridge trail. Lupe was completely convinced the wildflowers and tundra were worth seeing, too! Photo looks E.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Delicate,<\/a>
Delicate, vibrant little plants of the tundra. They were only an inch or two high.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Before long, the trail left Lupe’s lush, green valley and returned to the ridge.\u00a0 The Worthington Glacier was always in view from here on.\u00a0 The trail headed up toward a high, barren,\u00a0rounded mound of dark colored soil and rock.\u00a0 It looked like that hill might be the end of the trail.\u00a0 The climb up to the top was steep!<\/p>\n

\"Back<\/a>
Back on the ridge again, the Worthington Glacier was always in view.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Lovely<\/a>
Lovely blue crevasses as seen with a little help from the telephoto lens.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"As<\/a>
As Lupe climbed the last high, barren, rounded hill, she had this view of the Worthington Glacier as a single river of ice above where the glacier split in two. Photo looks WNW.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"\"<\/a>
Near the top of the last high, barren, rounded hill. From below, this hill looked like it might be the end of the trail. Maybe it is the end of the formal trail, but Lupe found out it was possible to go quite a long way farther. Cairns showed the way. Photo looks W.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Lupe reached the top of the high,\u00a0barren, rounded hill.\u00a0 The trail leveled out and went right on over it.\u00a0 At first, SPHP wasn’t certain if the trail continued or not.\u00a0 Lupe and SPHP left the ridgeline to explore farther W\u00a0along the N side of a mountain.\u00a0 Others had been this way, too.\u00a0\u00a0The terrain\u00a0was rocky and uneven.\u00a0 There\u00a0was no longer a distinct, continuous trail, but now and then\u00a0Lupe came to cairns along the way.<\/p>\n

Part of the time, Lupe was traveling over relatively level, wide, rock shelves.\u00a0 Other times, she had to climb steep slopes.\u00a0 Lupe passed by occasional bright patches of wildflowers.\u00a0 Some places bright green moss clung to dark rocks next to trickling waterfalls.\u00a0 To the S was the mountain.\u00a0 To the N, Lupe looked down upon the Worthington Glacier.\u00a0 And to the W, Lupe’s route rose toward a white, gray and black world of clouds, snow, ice, and dark earth.<\/p>\n

\"As<\/a>
As Lupe explored farther W above the Worthington Glacier, she sometimes came to colorful patches of wildflowers in an otherwise bleak world. Photo looks WNW.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Wildflowers<\/a>
Wildflowers bring a splash of color to the Worthington Glacier.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"A<\/a>
A mighty American Dingo explores the harsh environment of the Worthington Glacier! Actually, the worst Lupe had to face was some light rain and heavy mist that came and went. The temperature wasn’t that bad, either – maybe in the upper 40’s \u00b0F. Photo looks WNW.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"A<\/a>
A glacial tsunami surges over the lip of a vast bowl of snow and ice above. Lupe had seen what was higher up from the Richardson Highway yesterday evening, but the upper part of the glacier wasn’t visible now. Photo looks WNW.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"A<\/a>
A really big cairn beckons, showing the way ahead. Photo looks W.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Lupe<\/a>
Lupe reaches the really big cairn. She kept going for a considerable distance from here. Smaller cairns continued to confirm her route. Photo looks NW.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\"Lupe<\/a>After traveling a considerable distance along the mountainside, Lupe reached a really big cairn at a high point.\u00a0\u00a0SPHP thought maybe the big cairn meant Lupe\u00a0was getting close to the end of how far she was going to be able to go W.<\/p>\n

This wasn’t the end yet, though.\u00a0 Onward!\u00a0 The slope of the terrain lessened.\u00a0 Lupe still had to climb some, but gained elevation more slowly than before.\u00a0 The bold, damp Carolina Dog went on and on.\u00a0 Small cairns marked the route.\u00a0 The farther Lupe went, the more streams of rain and meltwater she encountered pouring over the rocks.<\/p>\n

At last, it could be seen that Lupe\u00a0was\u00a0nearing a point where she would be surrounded by snow and ice on 3 sides.<\/p>\n

\"Through<\/a>
Through light rain and mist, Lupe presses on toward the end. Soon she would be surrounded by snow and ice on 3 sides. Photo looks W.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Lupe reached the end of how far she could go W.\u00a0 The view was stupendous, even on a cloudy, drizzly day.\u00a0 Beneath the misty clouds, the sense of grandeur, solitude, and isolation was supreme.\u00a0 Snow, ice, mist, and dark rocks comprised the whole visible world.<\/p>\n

To the SW, a big patch of pink\u00a0snow was close at hand.\u00a0 SPHP was chilly enough, but\u00a0the hot-blooded\u00a0Carolina Dog\u00a0thought a frolic on the snow would be fun!<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
A hot-blooded Carolina Dog frolics on a patch of pink snow at the end of the line. The glacier, no doubt, melted a little more from this abuse.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Lupe<\/a>
Lupe at the end of the line. She was surrounded on 3 sides by snow and ice. Photo looks WSW.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Looking<\/a>
Looking back down the Worthington Glacier from close to the W end of Lupe’s advance. The Richardson Highway is seen far below. Photo looks ENE.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Lupe<\/a>
Lupe at the end of the line. The Worthington Glacier flows down from higher still, but this was as far as Lupe could go. Photo looks NW.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

After the Carolina Dog had cooled down sufficiently, Lupe and SPHP stood at the final high point Lupe reached, contemplating the Worthington Glacier and enjoying this rare, exquisite\u00a0moment.<\/p>\n

As SPHP looked around, it looked like Lupe might be able to go back to the SE, and climb 200 feet higher on the mountainside above.\u00a0 Any higher up than that, the mountain was buried beneath\u00a0deep, pristine snow.\u00a0 Lupe might have seen more from up on the mountainside, but SPHP decided against it.<\/p>\n

On a clear, bright day,\u00a0the additional climb\u00a0would have been worth it, but everything was wet and slippery now.\u00a0 A cold, light rain was falling.\u00a0 Even if Lupe had climbed higher, clouds and fog might easily have negated any benefit.\u00a0 In truth, Lupe was lucky the weather had cooperated enough to let her get this far.\u00a0 She’d had an unexpectedly wonderful day.<\/p>\n

\"Lupe<\/a>
Lupe and SPHP stayed for a while at the far W end of Lupe’s advance contemplating this slow-moving river of ancient ice and snow known as the Worthington Glacier. Photo looks NW.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"\"<\/a>
Lupe thinking deep thoughts at the end of the line – There hasn’t been a squirrel here in 25,000 years!<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Looking<\/a>
Looking NE.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Lupe<\/a>
Lupe stands near the small cairn at the end of her Worthington Glacier exploration. Photo looks NE.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

There was only one way back, which was to retrace Lupe’s entire route up here.\u00a0 Of course, going in the reverse direction provided a different perspective.\u00a0 One thing didn’t change.\u00a0 Lupe continued sniffing\u00a0and exploring.\u00a0 Even SPHP stopped to examine a few details along the way.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Bright green moss grew near trickling waterfalls.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\"Moss<\/a><\/p>\n

\"The<\/a>
The really big cairn is seen ahead, this time to the E.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Lupe<\/a>
Lupe explores near a patch of wildflowers. At least there was something worth sniffing! Photo looks E.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Don't<\/a>
Don’t jump, Loop! You forgot your SUPER DINGO cape!<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Looking<\/a>
Looking NE. The weather wasn’t really improving on the return trip.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Lupe<\/a>
Lupe back on the Worthington Glacier Ridge Trail on top of the high, barren hill. Photo looks ENE.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Uh,<\/a>
Uh, Lupe did mention that the route up the high, barren, rounded hill was sort of steep, didn’t she? Photo looks E.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"What<\/a>
What makes that glacial blue so appealing, anyway?<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Four or five hours after she’d left, Lupe was back at the G6.\u00a0 Her adventure on the Worthington Glacier Ridge Trail had been a very worthwhile success!\u00a0 SPHP was so glad she’d done it!<\/p>\n

The long trek had cured any remaining queasiness from earlier in the day.\u00a0 Lupe was famished!\u00a0 She made up for having missed breakfast by doing more than her fair share helping SPHP devour every last bit of the leftover roasted chicken.\u00a0 Once full of chicken, Lupe felt a tad sleepy.<\/p>\n

\"Full<\/a>
Full of roasted chicken, Lupe passed out in the G6.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Digesting all that chicken took awhile.\u00a0 Lupe had a nice long Dingo nap.\u00a0 By the time she woke up, it was evening.\u00a0 There was still time, though, to take the short nature trail to the viewpoint looking up at the S toe of the Worthington Glacier from below.<\/p>\n

The trail to the viewpoint took only a few minutes.\u00a0 There were, however, unofficial trails that people had made going closer to the glacier.\u00a0 Naturally, Lupe and SPHP thought it a good idea to go\u00a0find out\u00a0what could be seen along them.<\/p>\n

The unofficial trails were wet, muddy and slick.\u00a0 They climbed an incredible jumble of rocks.\u00a0 The\u00a0terrain looked like an explosion had taken place.\u00a0 Of course, there hadn’t been any explosion.\u00a0 The rocks were just as they had been unceremoniously dumped at the\u00a0not-too-long-ago\u00a0terminal moraine of the Worthington Glacier.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Among the rocky debris left by the retreat of the Worthington Glacier. Photo looks W.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Lupe<\/a>
Lupe got close enough to see the toe of the glacier. Photo looks W.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"\"<\/a>
Near the toe. Photo looks W.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"S<\/a>
S toe of the Worthington Glacier in Alaska.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

After scrambling\u00a0over the jumble of rock close enough to get a good look at the S toe of the glacier, there was one more thing to go see.\u00a0 Earlier, on the way back to the G6, while Lupe was still\u00a0way up high\u00a0on the ridge trail, SPHP had noticed a very long stream of water cascading down the lower N side of the Worthington Glacier valley.<\/p>\n

From above,\u00a0the stream of water\u00a0had presented a rather bizarre optical illusion.\u00a0 It looked like the water cascaded up and over a ridge of solid rock!\u00a0 Simply impossible, but that was how it had looked to SPHP.\u00a0 Lupe wasn’t far now from the bottom of that stream.\u00a0 Time to go take a closer look!<\/p>\n

\"Lupe<\/a>
Lupe at the bottom of the anti-gravity waterfall. Everything was normal, the water fell down, not up. Photo looks N.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

When Lupe got to the base of the falls, everything was normal.\u00a0 The water fell down, not up.\u00a0 Which is how it should be, and always will be.\u00a0 The mystery wasn’t completely solved for SPHP, because the part of the long stream\u00a0that had seemed to cascade uphill was out of sight much higher up.\u00a0 Illusion that it no doubt was, this stream had earned the nickname “Anti-gravity Creek” as far as SPHP was concerned.<\/p>\n

It had been quite a day at the Worthington Glacier for Loopster, but it was getting dark.\u00a0\u00a0The rain was starting up again.\u00a0 Almost back at\u00a0the G6, SPHP thought of one more thing Lupe might want to check out.\u00a0 When SPHP turned and headed toward the glacier once more, Lupe let out a single, no-nonsense woof!<\/p>\n

She’d had enough!\u00a0 Time\u00a0to dry off and get\u00a0some shut-eye!\u00a0 Meekly, SPHP obeyed.\u00a0 Back to the G6.\u00a0 Sometimes Dingoes know best!<\/p>\n

\"SPHP,<\/a>
SPHP, you might want to have your eyes checked! Water falls down, got that? Down!<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Links:<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Next Adventure<\/span><\/a>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Prior Adventure<\/span><\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

Want more Lupe adventures?\u00a0\u00a0Choose\u00a0from Lupe’s 2016 Canadian Rockies, Yukon & Alaska Adventure Index<\/strong><\/a><\/span>, <\/span><\/em>Dingo Vacations Adventure Index<\/strong><\/span><\/a> or Master Adventure Index<\/strong><\/span><\/a>.\u00a0\u00a0Or subscribe free to new Lupe adventures<\/span><\/span><\/b><\/a><\/span><\/em>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Days 12 & 13 of Lupe’s Summer of 2016 Dingo Vacation to the Canadian Rockies, Yukon & Alaska. Lupe’s adventures in the Yukon were done for now.\u00a0 Only yesterday, she’d enjoyed an\u00a0epic day climbing Mount Decoeli (7,650 ft.) in Kluane National Park.\u00a0 From afar, she had seen Canada’s highest mountain, Mount Logan (19,541 ft.).\u00a0 Today … Continue reading The Worthington Glacier, Alaska (8-11-16)<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":7136,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[726],"tags":[704,105,106,26,104,1135,716],"class_list":["post-7160","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-2016-canadian-rockies-yukon-alaska","tag-alaska","tag-american-dingo","tag-carolina-dog","tag-dingo-vacations","tag-lupe","tag-valdez","tag-worthington-glacier"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/adventuresoflupe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/IMG_1919.jpg?fit=1651%2C1238&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/adventuresoflupe.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7160","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/adventuresoflupe.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/adventuresoflupe.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adventuresoflupe.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adventuresoflupe.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=7160"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/adventuresoflupe.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7160\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":22440,"href":"https:\/\/adventuresoflupe.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7160\/revisions\/22440"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adventuresoflupe.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/7136"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/adventuresoflupe.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=7160"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adventuresoflupe.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=7160"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adventuresoflupe.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=7160"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}