Face of Change

Change is a constant with glaciers. The mighty Mendhenhall Glacier in Juneau, AK is incredibly beautiful, but constantly changing. I have watched this glacier retreat tremendously over the years and I wanted to capture it’s beauty before it pulled away from the icy lake that it’s runoff has created. I was fortunate to have a rare beautiful (cold) day to walk out on the ice and capture this panorama that has become one of my all time favorites. It is an 18 image panoramic.

One of the unique elements to this image is that it was taken in winter. During that time the Mendenhall lake often freezes over. As a result, you can walk, ice skate, snowshoe, cross-country ski or bike over to the glacier face. The method of transportation depends a bit on the snowfall. This photo was taken when there was an abundance of cold weather without the snow. Capturing this beautiful frozen lake with the Mendenhall Glacier in the background shows the unique nature and beauty of Juneau, Alaska.

I titled this image “Face of Change” because the change we see in glaciers is so obvious. I love to explore ice caves (I have many pictures available from inside). However, they never stop changing. I’ve visited some that I’ve found on consecutive days and you can see the change in that short of a time period. The face of a glacier is the most unstable. This is where you see most of the calving. Trying to capture the beauty in the moment is the best way to document these changing giants.