Icebergs and bergy bits in Portage Alaska

Lee and Karen Duquette took a short hike and posed by some bergy bits June 28, 2009
Before going on the short one-hour Portage Glacier cruise, Lee and Karen Duquette took a short hike in Chugach National Forest.


Below: Lee Duquette was dwarfed by the mountains and trees


Below: Lee and Karen Duquette wandered off the original path and onto a smaller path, which turned out not to be a hiking path, but an area where wildlife (probably moose) often walk, trampling down the greenery and making it look like it was a path. Once again, there was lots of wildlife poop, but they did not see wildlife, which is a good thing while hiking. Be careful when in Alaska. You are responsible for any choices you make. (Thank goodness, everything turned out okay hiking here on this date)


*Smokey the Bear* warned the two RV Gypsies to be careful in the woods. Karen Duquette gave Smokey a big hug and thanked him for the reminder. So, maybe the above hike was NOT a good place for them to have gone alone. Maybe they will learn to be more cautious as they continue their travels.

Below: Just a few photos from another short hike across from Portage Valley RV Park


Below: Leaving Portage Valley RV Park, Lee Duquette drove through a short tunnel. As Karen Duquette looked off to the side of the road, she saw some bergy bits; ice chunks that came off of an iceberg. The Two RV Gypsies decided to get a closer look at them.
FYI: There are smaller pieces of ice known as bergy bitsť and growlers.ť Bergy bits and growlers can originate from glaciers or shelf ice, and may also be the result of a large iceberg that has broken up. A bergy bit is a medium to large fragment of ice. Its height is generally greater than 3 feet but less than 16 feet above sea level and its area is normally about 1,076 - 3,229 square feet. Growlers are smaller fragments of ice and are roughly the size of a truck or grand piano. They extend LESS than 3 feet above the sea surface and occupy an area of about 215 square feet.