Jewel Glacier Ski - 10.26.2013

Winter has been slow in arriving here: we still have flowers in our front yard and the forecast has included ridiculous terms like "tropical infusion". So, the snow line has stayed high - well above treeline, which combined with lots of precipitation has limited our chances to get into the alpine. Finally, yesterday was clear and we couldn't wait to head out.

Still not sure about the snow base we'd find, we headed for the Jewel Glacier above Girdwood. As we started the 3 km approach the mountains above us were lit up by the rising sun.


Getting closer to the snow...


Hiking up Crow Creek towards the Jewel Glacier brought the heightened sense of awareness that only comes with visiting a new place - the sensation that so many of us seek, where the world seems so vivid and saturated with color - the feeling of being alive.