19th Annual Smithsonian Magazine Photo Contest People
Ice Glow

This is a self-portrait in a glacier cave on the Canwell Glacier. I spent two days this summer exploring a series of caves in the lower moraine of the glacier, finding some of the clearest, blue ice I've seen in similar caves. The glow was absolutely otherworldly. Unfortunately, this section of the cave, about 100 meters long, is melting very fast. I expect that it will most likely collapse next summer. Although, it's a big system with still a lot of sections to explore!

Photo Detail
Date Taken: 08.2021
Date Uploaded: 11.2021
Photo Location: Alaska, United States of America
Camera: ILCE-7M3
Copyright: © Lee Petersen