The state ferry I was on stayed several hundred yards away from the face of the Columbia Glacier. When the glacier calved, several hundred Black-legged Kittiwakes flew into the area, searching for food in the churned-up water. The resultant wave rocked the ferry, which was maybe 600 feet long. I don't think any of us would want to be in a kayak 20 yards away from the face of a glacier when it drops a couple of hundred tons of ice in a calving. I've skied up to the face of Portage Glacier in the wintertime. We stopped maybe 50 yards away from a 5 story high iceberg, still 1/4 mile away from the main glacier (which was _much_ higher), when I noticed a crack developing in the ice. Those icebergs and glaciers are alive, whether you think so or not. Needless to say, we moved away quickly. The view is really better from a distance anyway. Darrell Lee Alameda, CA snorkler_at_juno.com On Mon, 17 Apr 2000 12:26:28 -0800 "Seng, Dave" <Dave_Seng_at_health.state.ak.us> writes: > I wrote: > > > I usually stay > > about 20-30 yds > > away, which in reality is too close if a big chunk of ice > > were to calve, but > > so far I've been OK and the lure of the iridescent blue ice > > is transfixing. > > > I wrote the above and take full responsibility for my own > irresponsibility. Glaciers can be dangerous for paddlers; not just > because > of falling ice and rock, but also because of the large violent waves > which > can be generated from the calving. What I did/wrote about falls > into an > area that I call "NAGI" - Not A Good Idea. Don't do this if you > ever get a > chance to paddle near a glacier unless you're with an experienced > local who > is very familiar with the glacier. And even then know that you're > taking a > calculated risk. > > Dave Seng (who doesn't want to lead anyone astray and attempting to > make > amends for my transgression) > Juneau, Alaska > > > > ************************************************************************* ** > PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - All postings copyright the author > and not > to be reproduced outside PaddleWise without author's permission > Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net > Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net > Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ > ************************************************************************* ** Darrell Lee Alameda, CA snorkler_at_juno.com *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - All postings copyright the author and not to be reproduced outside PaddleWise without author's permission Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
D Lee <snorkler_at_juno.com> wrote: >>The state ferry I was on stayed several hundred yards away from the face of the Columbia Glacier. When the glacier calved, several hundred Black-legged Kittiwakes flew into the area, searching for food in the churned-up water. The resultant wave rocked the ferry, which was maybe 600 feet long. I don't think any of us would want to be in a kayak 20 yards away from the face of a glacier when it drops a couple of hundred tons of ice in a calving.<< <SNIP> I rode that ferry back in 1975. My understanding why they stand off 1/2 mile or so is that tidewater glaciers can have a large "lower lip" that protrudes out underwater up to a 1/4 mile beyond the Glacier face. Worse this huge lip can break off in big chunks and then float quicly to the surface. I have seen someone's slides of this happening and the big new iceberg that came up was pretty incredible. I'd stay back at least 1/4 mile even with a relatively small tidewater glacier. Matt Broze http://www.marinerkayaks.com *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - All postings copyright the author and not to be reproduced outside PaddleWise without author's permission Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
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