Day 16 :: Walking on Thick Ice

Day 16 - Franz Josef Glacier

I've always wanted to hunt for Yeti, so I today I hiked onto the ice of Franz Josef Glacier - named for an Austrian emperor that's never been to New Zealand, but nevertheless there you have it. Unfortunately, I remember after I signed up for the 8-hour guided trek that landmass that composes New Zealand had drifted away from Gondwanaland millions of years ago before mammals had evolved. This means that Yeti could have never walked from the Himalayas to kiwi-land via land bridge. Unless of course they stowed away on polynesian ships, but you and I know that the Maori would not allow that... so... today, I simply enjoyed the thrill of walking on thousands years worth of ice hundreds of meters thick and several kilometers long.

I learned something that the Bush administration would love to hear - namely, that this particular glacier is not retreating, but has in fact advanced about 400 meters in the last 5 years. Quite different than all the other hundreds of glaciers around the world. The maori actually have another reason for the glacier. In short, a demi-goddess of the moutains fell in love with a demi-god of the sea who in his love for her thought he could mountaineer his way up to her. However, he fell to his death and to mourn him, she wept tears that filled the valley and into the sea. The Maori gods decided to freeze her tears as a symbol for their love. And to this day, they say that when the glacier retreats, the demi-godess is in a slightly better mood... and if it advances, not so good.

Having hiked the Harding Icefield in Kenai Alaska, I expected the trek to be much more strenuous. However, it was rather tame, but undoubtedly rewarding and fun. We approached the glacier head on - our guides hacking away steps into the terminal face of the glacier. Within a couple of ours, we were all face-to-face with blue ice and deep crevasses. Occasionally, our guides would pause to assess thin overhangs of ice that could cave in on us if it was too week. My favorite comment from a group member was, "... are there toilets up here?" There aren't. But the guides promised he would "find her one" somewhere among the ice... to think of it, there were many ice drains where ice-melt flowed much like a flush-toilet. Thousands of years in the future, one of our descendents will drink from its rivers and be awestruck by the richness of the water :)

Cheers for now. Tomorrow, off to Wanaka!