Franz Joseph Glacier - snow falls at the top, is compacted into ice and pushed into the valley below. The glacier is flowing at a rate of 8-9 meters per day at the top and 1 meter per day at the bottom. At the terminal face the ice looks dirty as the melted ice flows into the river below, leaving behind any rock and dirt the glacier has picked up along the way.
The terminal face – the climb begins. At this stage of the climb we walk along precut paths, however the guides carry axes to reform steps as the ice shifts and melts over the day.
Up above the terminal face the ice forms large waves that we walk between and over. The waves are formed when the ice flowing over the uneven bedrock below cracks and splits resulting in large crevices. In the crevices the exposed ice is a beautiful blue colour. As we get higher and higher up the glacier the precut paths disappear and the guide determines which path to follow depending on the conditions
Hair update – 2 weeks down, 4 to go. The second week was much worse than the first so not really looking forward to the third. Warwick’s hair has started to get a bit greasy and dandruff is becoming a problem, he may cave tomorrow and wash it.
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