Glacier climbing

I went climbing on the Franz Josef glacier today. They were sold out for the full day climb, but I was first on the waiting list and got on. It was a fine day! Not a cloud in the sky. This is pretty remarkable since Franz Josef gets about 7 meters (22 feet) of rain per year. They are on the west coast and the winds from the west pick up moisture in the Tasman Sea and then drop it as they start to climb the mountains. The mountains get 30 to 40 meters of snow per year. This all feeds the glacier.

We spent 6 1/2 hours on the glacier. My feet are sore from the crampons that are strapped to your hiking boots. I think I may have gotten some neat pictures of the crevices that we climbed through and an ice cave that we went into.

One of the toughest parts was that we were allowed to use the restroom at 8:30 before we went out and then couldn't use it again until we got back at 5! I saw a lot of blue ice, but no yellow ice!

I promise I'll try and find a place where I can post some pictures. I'm using a machine that gives you internet access as long as you are drinking. The sacrifices one must make in foreign countries!

Pictures:

1 - Franz Josef glacier before we hiked up to it

2 - View back from the glacier

3 - The ice.

4 - A creavice to walk through

5 - Picture from inside the creavice - wet, cold and sometimes very tight

6 - Chopping out steps for new path

7 - Very tight fit!! Good thing I'd lost a few pounds on this trip!

8 - Just have to climb up there!

9 - Into the ice cave.

10 - Down into the cave

11 - It keeps getting smaller!

12 - That's about as far in as I can go! Pretty cool lighting in there from the sun coming through the ice.

13 - Back up to the exit of the cave.

14 - We'd somehow missed these signs on the way in!