16 Comments

Thank you for this piece. I learned so much. I had no idea that NZ has a glacier in her midst and that glaciers fill rivers and lakes. BTW hubby dreams about going to Antarctica.

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Thank you. We have a lot of glaciers in the mountains, but what is special about Franz Joseph and Fox glaciers is that they are accessible from the lowlands. Pretty bizarre seeing a glacier in the rainforest.

I was so lucky to get to Antarctica, more on that later this week hopefully.

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Hallo Again Melanie. Love your style and dedication to clarity ! Gonna comment on your work in my next newsletter (deadline Tuesday midnite CET). Peace Maurice

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Thank you Maurice, I really appreciate it. I'm always happy if I achieve clarity.

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This was informative Melanie. You write in a very accessible way!!! I will look in your archive for your writing about Antarctica.

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Thank you Mark. More coming on Antarctica later in the week - I've got a short article about going inside a crevasse. Just an excuse to share some glacier photos.

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Jul 23, 2023·edited Jul 23, 2023Liked by Melanie Newfield

Thanks for this, Melanie. We have glaciers here in Washington, both in the Cascades and on the Olympic Peninsula, and they too are receding.

Your chocolate chip intro reminds me of a tale. Some friends and I were hiking Sauk mountain, which is above the spot where the Sauk River flows into the Skagit River. Looking down from the summit, we noticed that the Sauk River was brown. We were concerned that it might be pollution of some kind. I had cell service, so I called my friend Stan, who works for the Sauk-Suiattle tribe. "Oh, it happens every year around this time. It's melt water from the Chocolate Glacier on Glacier Peak."

Glacier Peak is Washington's most remote volcano, and I think the coolest.

Anyway, I thought you might appreciate a chocolate glacier! 🍫 🧊

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That is so cool, John. A chocolate glacier! I had to look it up.

You have some amazing landscapes in Washington. Glacier Peak is lovely. I'm partial to stratovolcanoes as we have some special ones here too.

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Jul 24, 2023Liked by Melanie Newfield

Great article Melanie.

My son and I trekked the Chilean ice field in Patagonia, including Torres del Paine in 2008. This is the world's second largest contiguous extrapolar ice field according to Wikipedia.

Rangers in the park told us many glaciers had retreated so far from the sea in 20 years it was a long walk to see them. Fifteen years on I can't imagine how much further they've gone.

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Thank you, Bob.

That sounds amazing, but sad too. Glaciers are so remarkable and it's really sad that they are retreating like that. It's remaking those landscapes.

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Very sad. Looking back now I'm glad we walked far enough to sleep on one and next to another. The primeval groans of the ice moving at night are truly unforgettable.

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Melanie, I loved this piece and the videos you included were amazing - especially the time lapse ones. Bob, until you mentioned the groans, I'd not thought about how a glacier might sound. I've never seen an actual glacier, but because of Melanie I'm worried I won't and because of your description of the sounds I really hope I do!

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I hope you do too Heather. And you must camp near one to hear it calling for help.

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Thank you so much Heather. Yes, I hope you get to see one too. They are magical.

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I love this piece, Melanie. I could feel your melancholy about the glaciers, and it resonated in my heart. Combined with the info on how glaciers work, it was great.

I stood beside a glacier that I believe no longer exists in Iceland in 2006. Our tour guide instructed us all to be quiet, and as we listened, we could hear the ice cracking. The guide said the tour would end within a couple of years as the glacier would be gone from that place. It was my first up-close encounter with climate change.

I took a photo of it so you can still see it here (just uploaded, hopefully it stays online forever, feel free to share): https://drive.google.com/file/d/1T7whjNkKZvk669tibaJTD9RWPdPWNoqt/view?usp=drive_link

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Wow, that picture is incredible. So sad to think it's no longer there.

Iceland is such a fascinating country. I've been interested in it since childhood but never managed to get there. Part of me wants to travel but I'm also painfully aware of the impacts of travelling.

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