The Spencer Whistle Stop features a pair of shelters (to help keep
visitors dry while waiting for the train) and an exquisitely clean
Forest Service outhouse. Interpretive exhibits contribute to
visitor understanding of the history of the railroad’s construction
and operations, and the natural history of Spencer Glacier. From
the ‘whistle stop’ area a trail accesses the prepared campground
site and the glacier viewing platforms at Spencer Lake, and another
trail extends beyond the camping site to an overlook of the
glacier’s surface. Most visitors only have enough time to hike to
the viewing platform during the several hours between drop-off and
same-day pickup (don’t miss the train’s return visit – it waits for
no one!). Camping gives the opportunity to stroll to the glacier
itself (on the newly-finished overlook trail), as well as enjoying
an overnight stay in the Alaska wilderness. There is no water
provided at the campsite – all water must be imported (local
streams are glacial in origin – loaded with silt). An outfitter
provides paddling opportunities on the lake and a rafting trip
down
the river by advance reservation.
Fall Colors at Spencer Glacier (photo by ak4me)
During your walk to the cache location you’ll travel across a
newly-exposed glacial outwash plain. Spencer Glacier has been in
retreat during the past 100 years, moving its face eastwards at an
accelerated average of 103 feet annually from 1990 to 2007.
Signposts along the trail mark the location of the glacier’s face
in 1912, 1928, and 1958. When the Alaska Central Railroad
(predecessor to the Alaska Railroad of today) reached this point
during preliminary construction efforts in 1907, the glacier was
within dozens of yards of the railway! Fireweed blooms in profusion
across the terrain during the summer. As you walk eastward observe
how the cottonwood trees get progressively shorter and smaller in
diameter. Commonly found in riparian environments (such as what
you’ll be walking through at Spencer), the cottonwood is very
tolerant of flooding and siltation infill around its base, making
it perfectly suited to be the largest of the plants which rapidly
infiltrate areas where a glacier is in retreat. A variety of the
poplar family, cottonwoods help stabilize streambanks and reduce
erosion impact. The tree is renowned for its rapid growth,
achieving harvestable maturity in ten to thirty years. The wood is
primarily suited for packaging purposes (such as pallets) and is of
low BTU value for firewood, and it is susceptible to rot. However,
as a ‘first-generation’ species on the newly exposed glacial
outwash plain, its value is immeasurable in helping establish plant
communities which support an extended variety of birds and mammals,
and in stabilizing newly-exposed soils against erosion impact. The
cottonwood is widely used elsewhere as a ‘planted’ tree species to
provide the same benefits in man-impacted riparian zones as you’ll
see it doing ‘naturally’ here alongside the trail to the Spencer
Glacier viewpoint.
Exercise ‘bear aware’ behavior during your visit, and give all
wildlife a wide berth when encountered. Use the bear-proof food
containers provided if you’re staying overnight, and make enough
noise while hiking to warn bears of your presence.
The cache is a small ammo can placed a dozen feet off the west
side of the trail near the campground area. Please practice ‘Leave
No Trace’ / ‘Lift-Look-Replace’ caching to maintain the area’s
pristine appearance. The cache will definitively be non-accessible
during the winter – total snowfall during the winter season of
2007-2008 measured just over 120 feet at the nearby railroad remote
weather station.
For information on accessing this area visit the Alaska Railroad
website in the Traveler section’s segment on the Glacier
Discovery Train (shown loading above at the Portage Parking
Lot). The least-expensive ticket to reach this site currently
costs $59, but it’s the only way to access this fabulous portion of
the Chugach National Forest!
Placed by a member of GeocacheAlaska!
