Day 16 – Sept 15 – Down the glacier

This was a long and difficult day that began our trip back down the glacier. Because of limited campsites, we had to make it all the way back to Merzbacher Meadow, reversing the route of Day 13 plus the 90 minutes we had walked further yesterday. At least it was mostly downhill.





The first part of the day went quickly, as our guide was able to find a way across a shortcut that had not been possible on the way up in the snow. This saved us at least an hour since we no longer needed to walk all the way around a large glacial lake.


Further down, however, we found that due to higher meltwater, we could no longer cross a glacier-top stream and an icebridge that had simplified the passage across a difficult side glacier. So we had to take another route across difficult glacial ridges and a long stretch of boulders on top of the glacier. Finally we made it to the moraine and up to Merzbacher Meadow, where we had camped two nights earlier in the trip. It had taken us nine hours.

Although the snow had mostly melted, falls were almost inevitable on the loose rock and slippery glacial ice. Both Marcia and I slipped several times, and I once cut the palm of my left hand, fortunately not badly. I managed to avoid reinjuring my ankle, which was still hurting and weak from the fall I had taken in Canada.

Unfortunately, there was a new sprained ankle in our team. The young woman interpreter Jennia, athletic though inexperienced at hiking, had gone with the porters so that she could hike fast. Being fast and strong, the porters leaped across the stream and icebridge that our guide had wisely turned us back from. Trying to keep up, Jennia also tried to leap but came down on the side of her foot, spraining her ankle quite badly. The porters had to mostly carry her to camp, arriving only a few minutes before us.

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