9) Hiking Fox Glacier
I did a lot of research, or at least tried to, about which glacier I wanted to hike. Neither the Internet nor my friend were terribly helpful in making a decision, as it sounded like both places had things to recommend them. Each glacier (And this might be a moment to share that Kiwis pronounce “glacier” like Americans do, and not like the British.) has a guiding company with a monopoly on leading half- and full-day hikes onto the glacier. If you’re not fit for the hike or want a shorter (but more expensive) experience, you can get a small plane or helicopter ride up onto the glacier. (I don’t want it to sound like I’m dissing that option. My guide said that the advantage of the aerial options is that you get up much higher on the glacier and have another perspective on how massive it is.) I don’t know that I settled on Fox Glacier for any particular reason. I think it might have just been that I found Fox Glacier Guiding’s website more functional than their counterpart to the north.
The hikes all leave from in town, where you board a (cramped) bus to take you out to the start of the walk to the glacier. Years ago, the glacier came much farther down into the valley, and where the bus dropped us off would have been the foot of the glacier. Not so any more, as we had to walk probably 30 minutes just to get to the ice. Before beginning our trek, the 20 of us on the bus were split into two groups. Because of sub-group sizes, we wound up splitting nine and 11, with me in the group of nine. My guide, Dean (or “Deano” as he prefers), was great. We had a mix in our group, with me being the only American. I think it was two Aussies, two Brits apparently on a gap year, two Germans, two Taiwanese, and me. We set out on the first phase of the walk, for which Deano told us we should wear as few layers as possible since we were about to walk through a sub-tropical rainforest. There are only three glaciers in the world where the foot descends down into a rainforest; Fox and Franz Josef are two, and the third is somewhere in Argentina.
When we finally reached the ice, it was time to strap our crampons onto our boots and bundle up, since it was now about to be right around freezing for us for the rest of the day. (Boots, wooly socks, and crampons are provided, but you’re welcome to wear your own socks and boots as long as they have crampons that will fit your boots.)
From there, we ascended the ice staircase that is maintained throughout the day (and gets moved/rebuilt most days as the glacier moves and melts). The half-day hike never strays from the ice staircase. For us, we would only use it to mount and dismount the glacier. Beyond that, Deano had his pick and would just make steps for us as we needed them. We also received an orientation in how to properly walk with crampons on, as your instinctive reaction is generally wrong. Fortunately, we had few slips thanks to the crampons and walking sticks. I think we spent about five hours just out wandering around on the glacier (as a group), with Deano making sure to find small crevasses for us to walk through, moulins to look into, etc. We each had a lunch (and some snacks) along to remain fueled throughout the day, and it was really magnificent. Again, I’ll try to let some photographs capture a tiny fraction of the splendor of it all.
Although I was exhausted when we got back to town, I was so glad that I’d decided to go with the full day walk. I hopped back in my car and headed for Franz Josef Glacier to shower. Since dinner the night before had been so good, I headed back to Alice May for more tasty food and South Island beer before turning in for a solid sleep.
Next up: Driving from Franz Josef Glacier to Queenstown, Hilton Queenstown