Woo-hoo, more time off!

I savored every hour of this weekend knowing that beginning Wednesday I will be in the field working for nearly a month straight. Starting in Seward on Saturday, I hiked around Exit Glacier (nearly freezing my toes off after trudging through glacial runoff trying to get a closer look). After hiking in the rain and changing into some dry clothes, I drove to a small town called Hope hoping to find some gas but instead I found a biker gang, another VW van and some live music. This "town" must have a population of about 20 - it is one of the smallest communities I've ever seen but had a lot more character than many of the larger cities I've been in. The entire weekend was surreal - it rained all day Saturday but it didn't stop me from getting the closest I've ever been to cravasses in my life. I started out on the typical tourist trails that take you to an overlook of the glacier but there were too many people so I opted for a longer more adventurous hike. The hike was supposed to be about 8 miles round trip but I was turned around by steep snowfields - all the more excuse to go back later in the summer or bring snowshoes next time. Leaving Hope, I found a gravel road leading down to a private beach where I camped for the night to the sound of rain hitting the poptop.

Time to fuel up before the hike.

The town of Hope