North America, Photography, Thoughts

The World’s Largest Snowcone: The Matanuska Glacier

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*CRUNCH CRUNCH*

I awkwardly make my way across the ice. There is a reason that I never made it as a professional ballerina. Besides the fact that I would have despised the tutu, I just can’t hack it in the grace department.

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Regardless – I had made it to our first glacier. What was supposed to be conquered during our Latin American journey, I had more than made up here.

We just sat in awe. I didn’t know I could geek out so much over a giant piece of ice. I got to accomplish the things I had dreamt about.

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As our guide gave us a quick run down about the glacier, I raised my hand.

“I know this is horribly random but – if I lick the glacier, will my tongue stick to it?

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You should have seen his face.

“Err… umm… I’ve never had THAT asked before but no, it shouldn’t?”

“Well, if it does, be ready – because this is going to happen.”

“Your tongue won’t stick to the glacier.”

“I’m taking your word for it but… you know… just incase…”

My first order of business: Lick a Glacier.

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Anyone who has visited our bucket list knows about it.

And no, my tongue didn’t stick but it was a glorious thing to do. Not only was I licking the biggest snowcone on earth but it was delicious. I moseyed on over to the glacial water fountain to put my mouth up to it.

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You know when you were little and on a hot summer day you grabbed the garden hose for the glorious, cool water? It was like that but a million times better. The purest water on earth was sweet, cool, and I felt life returning to my body. There is nothing else like it in the world. Granted, we looked like little kids with the water going everywhere (half of my jacket was soaked).

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And after we made our way around the glacier for a while, I became one with the crampons. I went up hills and into carvasses I would have never considered in normal shoes. And while we are normally super cheap DIY travelers, this is one thing you shouldn’t scrimp out on. It isn’t like walking on snow. Think about walking in your freezer. Try walking on the ice that has freezer burned those peas you forgot about.

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One DIY guy bit it so badly (broke his ankle) that he ended up being hiked out on a stretcher… and he had only made it a few feet out on the actual glacier. Our old roomie said he had tried once and nearly ended up falling into a massive carvasse.

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So if you happen to be out there and want to go onto the ice, splurge for the crampons. Get a guide. The glacier changes every day and can be extremely dangerous to walk on if you don’t know where you are going or how to get there.

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But whatever you do, make sure to give it a good lick for me.

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Disclosure: We were able to be in Anchorage due to our partnership with the Hilton Garden Inn, however all opinions are our own.

28 thoughts on “The World’s Largest Snowcone: The Matanuska Glacier”

  1. Sounds like so much fun! However, to be honest, ANYTHING cold sounds delightful to me right now!

  2. Great photos! I’ve never licked a glacier BUT I did drink glacial water when I was diving Silfra! So cool!

  3. We can geek out together. I like having someone else freak out exponentially besides me. Shaun usually just shrugs his shoulders lol.

  4. HAHA! It wasn’t that cold in August. It was looking around 60 degrees or so. I know that is an LV winter but still not too horrible!

  5. Wow…Its just amazing…
    I love to travel in cool places. Really excited to go to have a Glacier View – Alaska’s Best Kept Secret – More Sun, Less Bugs!

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