Gallery

Glaciers

This gallery is devoted to glaciers. Most or all are that you will see are in Alaska. I've been to Alaska numerous times and many of those times on a cruise ship. I've cruised Glacier Bay and some of the fjords multiple times so I have had lots of opportunities to photograph these beautiful rivers of ice. I've also been fortunate enough to take a helicopter (a couple times), land on a glacier and hike around with crampons on. Those were mind-blowing experiences and give a perspective of a glacier that you can't get any other way. Enjoy the photos.

Margerie Shadows

Dramatic lighting and shadows across the jagged, crevassed face of Margerie Glacier in Tarr Inlet.

Glacier Bay, Alaska

Piedmont Glaciers

A striking example of a piedmont glacier, where ice flows down a steep valley before spilling out and fanning across a broad, flat plain into a wide lobe.

Glacier Bay, Alaska

Mendenhall Outpost

Standing among deep ice formations with the transport helicopter waiting nearby on the ice field.

Mendenhall Glacier, Alaska

Glacier Texture

A close-up study of the weathered ice surface, showing deep ridges and sculpted features formed by constant freeze-thaw cycles.

Mendenhall Glacier, Alaska

Reid From Afar

A distant, full-frame perspective of Reid Glacier resting deep within its surrounding fjord.

Glacier Bay, Alaska

Navigating Mendenhall

Hiking across the rugged, icy contours of Mendenhall Glacier in crampons, surrounded by deep blue fissures and melt channels.

Mendenhall Glacier, Alaska

Big Splash

A dramatic subaerial collapse at Lamplugh Glacier, capturing the exact second a massive section of the terminal cliff shears off and crashes into the sea..

Glacier Bay, Alaska

Reid Shoreline

Where the low-sloping foot of Reid Glacier meets gravel beaches and fjord waters, marking the gradual retreat of the ice front.

Glacier Bay, Alaska

Alpine Icefalls

An unnamed hanging glacier spilling down high mountain walls along the fjords. Unlike major tidewater glaciers like Margerie or Johns Hopkins, these steep, perched icefalls rarely have official names.

Glacier Bay, Alaska

Pure Blue Ice

Dense, highly compacted ice along the active face of Margerie Glacier glowing with an intense blue hue.

Glacier Bay, Alaska

John Hopkins Glacier

One of Glacier Bay's most magnificent tidewater glaciers, Johns Hopkins originates deep in the high, snow-capped peaks of the Fairweather Range before terminating at the head of the inlet.

Glacier Bay, Alaska

Ice Flow

An unnamed glacier flows down from the high mountains into Glacier Bay.

Glacier Bay, Alaska

Hopkins Debris Bands

Heavy dark debris bands and dirt layers running along the forward terminus of Johns Hopkins Glacier.

Glacier Bay, Alaska

Racing Stripes

Parallel medial moraines create distinct dark "racing stripes" along the glacier's surface, formed where multiple tributary glaciers converge and merge their rocky lateral debris.

Glacier Bay, Alaska

Margerie Spires

Towering ice spires and pinnacles—known as seracs—crowning the face of Margerie Glacier. These jagged forms are created by intense structural stress as the glacier flows down steep slopes.

Glacier Bay, Alaska

Glacier With No Name

A beautiful, but unnamed glacier along the shore in Glacier Bay National Park.

Glacier Bay, Alaska

Terminus Wall

A detailed look at the base of the terminus wall showing a subglacial conduit. Here, underwater freshwater streams empty into the bay, bringing sediment to the surface and undercutting the face of the glacier.

Glacier Bay, Alaska

Debris Bands & Shearing Layers

Dark, horizontal layers embedded within the glacier’s face—often seen near the terminus—are formed over centuries. As the massive body of ice scrapes across bedrock, it lifts soil and rock, freezing them into distinct strata high above the ground.

Glacier Bay, Alaska

River of Ice

Tracing Margerie Glacier's winding path from high in the mountain peaks down to the sea floor.

Glacier Bay, Alaska

Reid Glacier Face

A wide perspective of Reid Glacier where it terminates in the fjord, showing heavy sediment loads and lateral moraines along its flanks.

Glacier Bay, Alaska

Reid Basin

Looking up into the upper catchment basin of Reid Glacier as it descends from surrounding ridge lines.

Glacier Bay, Alaska

Calving Margerie

A close-up moment capturing a small section of ice tumbling from the face of Margerie Glacier into the water below.

Glacier Bay, Alaska

Lamplugh Up Close

An intimate view of Lamplugh Glacier's face, highlighting the deep crevasses, intense blue hues, and intricate textures of the ice.

Glacier Bay, Alaska

Hanging Glacier

Perched high on a steep cliff, this hanging glacier terminates abruptly without reaching the valley floor, frequently triggering ice avalanches down the mountain face.

Glacier Bay, Alaska

Advancing Glacier

A rare advancing tidewater glacier: while most glaciers in the park are retreating, Johns Hopkins has been steadily thickening and pushing forward down the inlet since the 1920s.

Glacier Bay, Alaska

Merge With No Yield

Ice flows from two directions and merges before flowing into the water.

Glacier Bay, Alaska

Fjord Approach

Approaching Reid Glacier through calm fjord waters, framed by steep wilderness mountain slopes.

Glacier Bay, Alaska

Ice Wall Fractures

Deep vertical stress fractures running down the face of Margerie Glacier, signaling areas ripe for impending calving events.

Glacier Bay, Alaska

Glacial Face

Looking up at the towering 200-foot ice wall of Margerie Glacier from water level.

Glacier Bay, Alaska

Margerie Close Up

A detailed perspective of Margerie Glacier’s lower terminus, showing dark debris bands and meltwater caves at the waterline.

Glacier Bay, Alaska

Sediment & Ice

A clear look at the dirty, rock-laden ice along the edges of Reid Glacier, illustrating how glaciers transport massive amounts of mountain debris.

Glacier Bay, Alaska

Trekking the Ice Field

A rare, feet-on-the-ground perspective captured during a helicopter excursion onto Mendenhall Glacier, equipped with crampons to hike across the ancient ice field.

Mendenhall Glacier, Alaska

Hairpin Turn

A river of meltwater makes a quick 90 degree turn on Mendenhall Glacier.

Mendenhall Glacier, Alaska

Glacial Contrast

A high-contrast look at Johns Hopkins Glacier descending from the Fairweather Range, highlighting the dynamic intersection of rock, light, and moving ice.

Glacier Bay, Alaska

Surface Crevasses

Looking down into dynamic surface fissures on Mendenhall Glacier, carved by stress and meltwater as the ice sheet slowly shifts downhill.

Mendenhall Glacier, Alaska

Fjord Approach

Approaching Reid Glacier through calm fjord waters, framed by steep wilderness mountain slopes.

Glacier Bay, Alaska

Tarr Inlet Reflection

Margerie Glacier reflected in the exceptionally still, frigid waters of Tarr Inlet.

Glacier Bay, Alaska

Blue River

An icy blue river of meltwater meanders through the ice maze.

Mendenhall Glacier, Alaska

Ice Cave

Caves form along the bottom of the sheer face of Margerie Glacier.

Glacier Bay, Alaska

Coastal Ice Wall

The sheer 200-foot cliff face of Margerie Glacier dropping off directly into the salt waters of Glacier Bay.

Glacier Bay, Alaska

Meltwater & Ice Slopes

Clear meltwater and deep blue contours cutting across the sloping surface ice of Mendenhall Glacier.

Mendenhall Glacier, Alaska

Touchdown on the Ice

A rare, feet-on-the-ground perspective during our helicopter landing directly on Mendenhall Glacier, stepping out into the expansive ice field.

Mendenhall Glacier, Alaska

Crampon Trekking

Getting sure footing with crampons while navigating across the dense, glassy terrain of Mendenhall Glacier.

Mendenhall Glacier, Alaska

Ice & Granite

Where ice meets rock—a striking view highlighting the shear zone where Mendenhall Glacier grinds past surrounding mountain walls.

Mendenhall Glacier, Alaska

Ready to Calve

It's easy to see from this angle where unstable blocks of ice form setting a massive calving soon.

Glacier Bay, Alaska

South Sawyer Terminus

The dramatic blue wall of South Sawyer Glacier rising steeply above the deep, narrow waters of Tracy Arm fjord.

Glacier Bay, Alaska