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Published: July 13th 2006
The real reason I didn't go bungee jumping is because I chickened out, however; I am sticking with my other reason. Bungee jumping was going to be my expensive splurge in New Zealand, until I found out about heli-hikes where they helicopter you up to the middle of a glacier and, with a guide, you walk around for half a day.
My heli-hike almost didn't happen. When I got to the town of Fox off of Fox glacier, the weather didn't look good. I lost the day because of wind and rain, which on my tight schedule was almost a disaster. Plus the town of Fox is about two streets, so not much to do. The second day turned out to be beautiful and I was able to go.
It was my first helicopter ride and for the most part I enjoyed it. Although; on a couple of the dips and turns my stomach wasn't happy. Once on the ice, I got to wear ice crampons which delighted me to no end too. We headed off on our hike with everyone walking in single file behind the guide. We were told never to stray off the path as you
never knew where a patch of thin ice and some snow covered the opening to a deep crevasse that could go a hundred feet down. The guide told us a lovely story about someone hiking further up the glacier who fell into a crevasse. Sadly the man did not die from the fall or the elements but from suffocation. Every time he breathed in, he got wedged in a little deeper. He had to be cut from the ice with a chainsaw. Surprisingly, he (or his family I guess) was lucky, often the body cannot be retrieved. You have to wait years for the ice to slowly move down the mountain and the body to show up on the terminal end. Anyway, that was a good incentive to stay behind the guide and letting him forge the path. I suppose the guide determined the path by looking at the terrain but he also did a lot of stomping and occasionally stabbed at the ice with a long pole. I hope it was just for show, but I don't think so.
As we walked along, the guide found ice caves to walk or crawl through and ice waves to sit
under. We walked over and under ice arches. In steep areas, he would carve out ice steps for the not so nimble with a pick-axe. Quite an impressive process to watch. The area we were hiking in was an ice lake; a relatively flat area and only moving about one meter a day. Higher up the mountain was an ice fall; on an incline and moving about five meters a day. The ice from the fall pushes the ice in the lake faster than it can move so the glacier buckles and breaks and all the pretty scenery I saw is formed. I think this makes it interesting for the guide too. Since the ice is always moving, the ice keeps changing. Everyday a new trail has to blazed, instead walking the same path day after day. Except for the possbility of falling to an icy death, I think it would be great to be a glacier guide. I would love to be able to swing a pick axe like that.
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Angela
non-member comment
Have it your way...
Can't wait...to hear