FRANZ JOSEF GLACIER

This is the Franz Josef Glacier. Like its NZ plant and animal brethren, it too is an extraordinarily unique product of nature. A pithy description from Active New Zealand sums it up:

"Franz Josef Glacier descends to just 250 metres above sea level amidst the greenery and lushness of a temperate rainforest. Of all the accessible temperate glaciers in New Zealand, the Franz Josef Glacier is easily the steepest and fastest moving. While many glaciers world-wide have been retreating, the Franz Josef Glacier still flows almost to sea level, through a temperate rainforest of ancient podocarp trees and other evergreen species. This combination of ice and temperate rainforest is a unique feature of New Zealand's glacier country, and is an ecosystem found nowhere else in the world."

We went on an 8-hour trip with the Franz Josef Glacier Guides. The first 3 kilometers were an easy stroll across the rocky river valley. Then we reached the terminal face, where it begins to get icy and steep. We strapped on our Ice Talonz and went at it, ascending 3 more kilometers up the glacier and into two icefalls, where we encountered rain, fog, one juvenile kea, and lots of stunning blue ice. We also hopped across crevasses several hundred meters deep, walked across pre-set bridges (i.e., ladders with planks on top) spanning wider crevasses, and slipped, slid, and shuffled through claustrophobically tight walls and tunnels of ice. I got pretty banged up, mostly from slamming my elbows and knees into solid ice, but it was the funnest kind of bruising I'd ever experienced, and I wouldn't hesitate to do it all over again.

This was a hike made difficult by the equipment, not the terrain. The biggest pain for me were the boots we had to wear. I won't go into details, because it's damned if you did and damned if you didn't. We were given the best equipment possible, but by the end of the day my toes were scrunched into bloodless bits.

I would have taken more photos, too, if the conditions hadn't been so, well, wintry. It was just so wet and cold, and our wool gloves became these annoying, cold, soppy appendages, though taking them off meant touching ice with bare hands, which was even worse. Simply said, the conditions made me very reluctant to take photographs, since that meant taking the camera out of my rain-flooded backpack, peeling off my wet wool gloves, stopping while everybody else trekked on, then finding the right shot without getting the camera wet beyond repair, before rushing to put the camera away, slap the clammy gloves back on, and catch up with the others without stepping into an ice puddle three feet deep or sliding down a crevasse. Okay, that wasn't so simply said. But that's why I have so few pictures.

The baby kea joined us sometime around lunch, when we sat down on wet rocks and chowed down. Smart baby, comes around when the food's out. (No, we did not feed him.) He flapped curiously here and there, waiting, wondering, watching. He was really cute. I was annoyed when a girl in the group yelled at the kea and complained about how bothersome he was. This is probably the kind of person who kills every spider she sees in the house, even if it's in some remote corner of the garage and would never have the chance to get near her.

This little kea was shy and demure, and when we finished lunch and started hiking further up the glacier, he followed us, albeit a good twenty feet to our right. For at least an hour, he kept us company, hopping and bouncing up rocks and ice with total ease. He kicked our asses in the climbing part, with his sharp natural talons and wings to give him a little lift. While we heavy, grounded humans trudged with great effort at every step, the little kea trotted his way up. This was his playground. As I'd written on my kea page, these birds are made for the mountains.

I want to thank Astrid for being our great guide. I had the chance to chat a bit with her as we hiked the easier parts, and found out she's from Dunedin, is classically trained in violin since something like the age of 4 or 5, LOVES Bach and baroque music, and went bicycling through Western Europe last summer with a bunch of friends. She was kind, funny, smart, talented, easy to talk to, open-minded... gee, sounds a lot like all the other New Zealanders I'd met. She was an excellent guide who cut steps for us like the pro that she is, and I felt safe with her leading the way.

In spite of the cold and wet weather, the glacier hike was a total and complete success. I had an exhilarating adventure, both physical and psychological. Crossing those seemingly bottomless crevasses, being on top of this monstrous creation of nature, and knowing I was always a step or slip away from an icy blue death put things into perspective. When you're staring down a 300-meter drop into darkness, how can you worry about the trivialities of your mundane life?

256 Franz Josef Glacier	257 Franz Josef Glacier	258 on the glacier, looking back	259 desperate shot taken at lunch	260 bridges
261 baby kea	262 dirty crevasse	263 onward into the rain	264 icy blue	265 Glow Worm Cottages *BEST HOSTEL OF ENTIRE TRIP*
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