General...
When we think of a glacier, we think that it is something that just lies there year after year without too much activity. This is not so with the Hubbard Glacier. In fact nothing could be further from the truth. Located near the community of Yakutat, Alaska, this giant glacier is slowly shifting on a weekly basiss.
Changing Glacier...
This amazing glacier rumbled forward in 2002 and blocked Russell Fiord for the second time in since 1986. This transformed the Fiord that runs for forty three miles into a lake. Fortunately the block gave way and once again the Hubbard Glacier was free to be on its natural way again. If the dam had held it could have been catastrophic.
Russell Lake would have overflowed at the opposite end of the Fiord causing flooding in the Yakutat Foreland and thus flooding the world famous Situk River. It is predicted that this will happen again in the future. This threatens the very lively hood of the Yakutat community.
Yakutat...
The nearest inhabited place to the Hubbard Glacier is the community of Yakutat. There you will find a place to dine and a well-stocked general store. Drop into the bar and meet the locals and find out how they spend their daily lives in this northern community. When you get to know the locals, you get to know Alaska in a way that you will never know other than doing this. Only the people that live there can give you a true feel for the land they live in.
Things to do...
As for things to do this, super glacier will keep you busy while you are there. It is absolutely amazing and the beauty of it alone is incomparable. Watch as the Hubbard Glacier calves and see the large pieces of icebergs break and fall into the see. Look for the deep blue color of the ice, as it gets ready to separate from the main Glacier. The sights you will see will stay with you for a lifetime. With or without pictures it is something you will never forget.
This Hubbard Glacier sits on the most active geological region in the world and it’s just waiting to show you the power that goes with it.
