The Fox Glacier
The 13 km long Fox glacier is, perhaps a grander spectacle than the Franz Josef.
The approach road runs between stands of native forest for some 5 km, over and around ancient moraines and across gravel outwashes founded on 'dead' ice.
It crosses flattened piles of debris fallen from crumbling mountainsides no longer supported by glacial ice.
After advances around 1600 and 1750 AD, the glacier has receded between protecting mountain spurs.
Minor waterfalls trail narrow veils down wet rock faces, and little streams pass over shingle fans, down to the Fox River.
The face of the glacier is partly buried in terminal moraine, but they is still a stupendous tumble of broken ice, arching out over a cave from which the Fox River issues, white with powdery rock flour.
Here and there it is checked by the mighty rubble from steep crumbling mountain walls.
The whole valley is founded on ice of unknown depth.
It has been sounded to more than 300 m without positively reaching rock bottom.
The glacier ice is pristine white on its surface, except where it has been soiled by rubble, but its hollows and fissures are turquoise.
Glacier ice is not a smooth and glassy sheet.
Its centre travels faster than its sides, which are slowed by the grinding friction against the rock walls, and this causes a crisscross pattern of diagonal fractures within the ice, with crevasses and ridges at the surface.
Walking tracks explore the surroundings of this massive glacier.
There is a steep climb, strictly for the physically fit but needing no more special equipment than strong footwear, to the 1337 m top of Mount Fox.
It rises through heavy forest of subtropical luxuriance, past the timberline to steep mountain slopes.
This area through the summer months is daubed liberally with alpine flowers.
From the summit there are fine panoramic views; though magnificent views of the glacier itself are obtainable from vantage points much more easily reached.
The approach road runs between stands of native forest for some 5 km, over and around ancient moraines and across gravel outwashes founded on 'dead' ice.
It crosses flattened piles of debris fallen from crumbling mountainsides no longer supported by glacial ice.
After advances around 1600 and 1750 AD, the glacier has receded between protecting mountain spurs.
Minor waterfalls trail narrow veils down wet rock faces, and little streams pass over shingle fans, down to the Fox River.
The face of the glacier is partly buried in terminal moraine, but they is still a stupendous tumble of broken ice, arching out over a cave from which the Fox River issues, white with powdery rock flour.
Here and there it is checked by the mighty rubble from steep crumbling mountain walls.
The whole valley is founded on ice of unknown depth.
It has been sounded to more than 300 m without positively reaching rock bottom.
The glacier ice is pristine white on its surface, except where it has been soiled by rubble, but its hollows and fissures are turquoise.
Glacier ice is not a smooth and glassy sheet.
Its centre travels faster than its sides, which are slowed by the grinding friction against the rock walls, and this causes a crisscross pattern of diagonal fractures within the ice, with crevasses and ridges at the surface.
Walking tracks explore the surroundings of this massive glacier.
There is a steep climb, strictly for the physically fit but needing no more special equipment than strong footwear, to the 1337 m top of Mount Fox.
It rises through heavy forest of subtropical luxuriance, past the timberline to steep mountain slopes.
This area through the summer months is daubed liberally with alpine flowers.
From the summit there are fine panoramic views; though magnificent views of the glacier itself are obtainable from vantage points much more easily reached.
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