Scaling Franz Joseph Glacier

#Franz_Joseph_Glacier

The Franz Joseph Glacier is approximately 7000 years ago & is a massive 12kms/7.4 miles long
 It meets the river valley below onto an ecosystem of a rainforest & is located in Westland Tai Poutini National Park.
In 1865 German explorer & geologist Julius von Haast named the ice flow & area after (at the time) the Austrian Emperor 
 
 KeyTip:  The village of Franz Joseph is small (population 450) so book accommodations early as the area will swell up to 2500+ (adventure seeking) travelers like myself  per day.

Now depending on your budget or fitness level you have a few options to explore the glacier;
A) Aerial Sightseeing by helicopter of around 20 minutes with a snow landing for photos 
 B) A two hour walk to the terminal face of the ice sheet
C) Heli-Hike  that gives you the return helicopter ride plus a 2.5 hour hike on the upper parts of the glacier 
 D) Guided Ice Walk with a full briefing & equipment that is needed for ice climbing

As you can see i opt for the Guided Ice Hike;

First there is the full briefing on safety at the Glacier Base Building plus then the guide will equip you with all the gear needed
But i noticed some of the folks here we not certainly dressed for the elements but for an amusement ride as in; dress shoes, shirt/tie & even baby strollers 😏 
One of the guides came over & told me that the walk out to the glacier tells us who is going on
 Franz Joseph.......phew! 

The history of crampons goes back to 1929 when Laurent Grivel made the brilliant invention of two front points allowing climbers to stand face up when scaling the steep ice & snow

To the top & as far as safety will allows us to go 😀✌

    At first your cautious;  but because Franz Joseph sits amidst a rainforest (the ice is considered soft) 

             then after awhile your thinking like Spiderman 😄 so scaling with confidence.

 

Unfortunately due to climate change in the past ten years Franz Joseph has lost almost 1.6kms or 1 mile of ice
 Estimates say by the year 2100 there will be probably no ice left in the head of the valley where the glacier sits now.

 Other options then to eliminate the carbon footprint if in the area;
A) The Franz Joseph Glacier Walk is a 30 minute return plus it is without any steep climbs & has a viewing area
 B) Fox Glacier South Side Walk is a two hour return hike without difficulty plus also has great viewing areas
 C) Roberts Point Track is a five hour return trek with an adventurous element to it.
 It has swing bridges, side streams & open areas of rock plus the viewing area platform that sits at 2000 feet above.
This  gives you a view of the glacier, mountain peaks & valley below
D) Alex Knob is a eight hour return hike so for only experienced walkers, but well worth it for the views of the glacier, Sothern Alps & surrounding landscape
 E) Mount Fox Route is for only the most advanced in hiking as its a tough climb to the summit during this eight hour return trek 

As i make my way through this crevasse you understand the meaning of the word (a long narrow opening in a glacier made by cracking) as i am living it 😅

There were two brothers from Australia who were crushed to death when hundreds of tonnes of ice fell on them because they walked beyond the warning signs
So again people; NATURE CAN KILL YOU, so respect the surroundings & the guides who are here to show you how to enjoy the area safely

As i finish my latest adventure;
 I remind my readers that although Franz Joseph landscape changes daily because of its fast flow & with some of the hikes through ice tunnels or crevasses...... the area is considered very safe