Beautiful Alaska!

 It is hard to capture the magnificence and scope of landscapes here in Alaska.  This is the Worthington Glacier near Thompson Pass. It is on the Richardson Highway which follows the route taken by many fortune-seekers on their way from the port of Valdez into the wild Alaskan interior in the 1898 gold rush. Today Valdez is the terminus of the 800-mile Trans-Alaskan pipeline. 

We could hike right up to the glacier, which has a beautiful blue color typical of glaciers.   It was interesting to see the water run-off, and observe the scraping action and debris left by the receding glacier. The glacier sits near Thompson Pass and the spectacular Keystone Canyon.  The steep green walls of the canyon were laced with dozens of waterfalls.  Valdez averages 64 inches of precipitation a year, including an average of 320 inches of snow.