Glacier follow-up

A couple of posts ago, I talked about the power of the frozen water at Mt. Rainier. We were told that Mt. Rainier has the more glaciers than any other mountain in the U.S. I promised some pictures about the glaciers and have finally had a chance to download them. The first picture is of Mt. Rainier. It is hard to get a perspective on this 14,000+ peak, but on a clear day it dominates the southwestern skyline of Seattle some 60+ miles away. The second picture is of the Nisqually glacier. They call it a dirty glacier and you have to look closely to see the ice underneath the dirt. You can see water flowing out underneath the edge of the glacier. This is the beginning of the Nisqually river, which can be seen in the third picture. This particular glacier has been retreating for decades. In fact, in the middle of the third picture you can make out a bridge crossing the river. 150 years ago the glacier actually was below the bridge and has been steadily retreating. The final picture is from the river bed and the rocks are what are left over after the glacier retreats. The power of water, here in frozen form, to shape the land is amazing. More pictures soon.