Pictures & Words: Lyle Such
Camera: Canon 5d MkIV, Mavic 2 Pro
Near Palmer, Alaska, we took snow machines 20 miles into the wilderness in search of the Nelchina Glacier, and hopefully, an ice cave. Guided by Alaska Backcountry Adventure Tours.
Sub-zero early morning temperatures. Luckily the wind was calm.
Our snow machines for the day. In the Midwest we called them snowmobiles. Up in Alaska we got used to using snow machine.
Alaskan wilderness.
Most of the trails were pretty well packed, it made the 40 mile journey a little more efficient.
This is what happens if you leave your car out too long in wintertime Alaska.
At this time of year you can't tell what is land and what is water. Several miles on our trip were crossing a massive frozen river.
Plane crash.
I flew the drone to check out the surrounding area. At this point we were close to Nelchina Glacier. We hadn't seen a single person yet.
Cold but happy.
Nelchina Glacier. Once again, with all the snow cover, it was hard to tell that we had climbed up onto the glacier.
Our destination for the day. On an almost unnoticeable snow mound, there was a small entrance to the ice cave.
We found it...an enormous ice cave!
A few years ago, this cave was so small that you had to crawl through. It grows a little bit every year.
Emerging from the other end of the cave. This was once a giant ice cavern, but the roof has melted away, leaving a snowy hole in the ground.
Ice walls.
This is a drone shot above the cave, looking out over Nelchina Glacier.
Oops, crash landing!
A little damage from the drone blades. The good thing about the cold is that you can't feel anything. The bad thing is, you'll feel it later!
The blue was most intense near the entrances where the light was able to penetrate the thick ice.
Even without the blue tint, the ice was mesmerizing to look at. So many textures.
Back to the entrance. We could have spent all day exploring and photographing the cave, but we had to get back before sunset.
Leaving the glacier.
On our way back we picked up a hitchhiker. This small group of explorers had been out for almost a week. One of them had had enough and wanted a lift back into town.
Beautiful landscapes all around.
Thu had a little trouble operating the snow machine. She didn't have enough weight, and kept slipping off the trail. This time, she hit an icy river and spun.
This moose leisurely trotted ahead of us for about five minutes. It seemed a little annoyed that we were following, and finally left the trail for the deep, fluffy snow.
Emerging from the forest, almost to the end.
40 miles later, we ended and had a nice dinner with our small group. Hot chocolate for everyone!
A perfect sunset as we drove back to Palmer.