On Wednesday I headed to work prepared for my standard day in the office. Instead of my standard day in the office, I was treated to one of the most spectacular days on the glacier I have ever encountered!
When Craig our operations manager asked if I would like to head up onto the ice to check out a new feature the guides had been working on all week, I was keen to go, however with the feature named “Blue Mist” I wasn’t sure what to expect.
So I donned all of my glacial equipment - woollen socks, boots, waterproof raincoat and over trousers and the all important 4 upper body layers. I also took along the woollen hat and gloves the guides provide, as I knew I would need them. Then it was the bus ride to the car park and we headed off up the glacier valley. Even though I have seen it many times, the first view of the glacier nestled amongst the rainforest in the Franz valley always takes my breath away and I find myself reaching for my camera to capture yet another photo of the glacier.
As I was just heading up to check out the new feature I was fast-tracked up the moraine and the lower reaches of the glacier with the fabulous guides Kruddy and Zack who were heading up to meet other trips. Zack delivered me safely to the start of “Blue Mist”, where the early full day trip was already making their way through.
The first thing that occurred to me when I reached the start was that even though I couldn’t see the group that was heading through, I could hear them singing! The sound was amazing as it was being amplified by the huge crevasse. The next sensation you get in “Blue Mist” is the coldness as you descend into it. It is literally akin to being in a freezer – luckily I had my 4 warm layers and my woollen hat and gloves on!
However as soon as you are within the depths of this huge crevasse, all thought of coldness is banished from your mind as the absolute beauty of this natural feature takes your breath away. From the piercing solid blue 30 metre high walls to the twists, turns, ups and downs that it takes on over it’s 200 metre length, it is simply an out of this world experience that this office chick is very happy to have been able to explore first hand!
I’m pretty sure I took close to 50 photos in my 20 minutes in “Blue Mist”, not only of the feature itself, but also of some of the other people in there, that could not keep the smiles off their faces and were only too happy to pose for me. Pictures alone however do not do enough justice to the enormity and depth of “Blue Mist”, so if you can get to the Franz Josef Glacier over the next couple of weeks to check this feature out, I highly recommend you do so – I can’t stop raving about it, and I’m sure you will too!!!
Jen - Franz Josef Glacier Guides
Time is running out to be a part of this fantastic course designed to give ladies the opportunity to have an introduction to the sport of Ice Climbing.
Posts
