Salmon Glacier  (August 12, 2019)

The road up to the glacier includes about 18 miles of gravel, washboard, potholes and mud, the last half of which is uphill.  Still it didn't seem as nasty as last year though that might be because I had the good sense to leave my luggage behind this time.

I had a vague misgiving about going up again as I thought it might be depressing if the glacier had obviously shrunk in the last 14 months.  In fact, it did look skinnier to me, but, that may have been my imagination.  Comparing photos from last year and this I can't really see a difference in the ice.  There's less snow lying around but that's because it's six weeks later in the summer.

There's an old timer who sits up at the best viewing point and sells postcards with photos he's taken over the years.  We chatted and he said that yes, the glacier's getting smaller.  Maybe if I come back in five years, there will be a noticeable change.

All of which led me to speculate about shrinking glaciers.  Obviously, as the climate warms they will melt.  But, as the climate warms there is also more moisture in the air and, as a result, more precipitation including more snow in some places.  So, maybe for some glaciers that increase in snow will offset some of the melting since glaciers are, after all, formed from snow.  Not that I'm trying to be optimistic.