| The 13 km long Fox glacier is, perhaps a grander | | | | The glacier ice is pristine white on its surface, except |
| spectacle than the Franz Josef. The approach road | | | | where it has been soiled by rubble, but its hollows and |
| runs between stands of native forest for some 5 km, | | | | fissures are turquoise. Glacier ice is not a smooth and |
| over and around ancient moraines and across gravel | | | | glassy sheet. Its centre travels faster than its sides, |
| outwashes founded on 'dead' ice. It crosses flattened | | | | which are slowed by the grinding friction against the |
| piles of debris fallen from crumbling mountainsides no | | | | rock walls, and this causes a crisscross pattern of |
| longer supported by glacial ice. After advances around | | | | diagonal fractures within the ice, with crevasses and |
| 1600 and 1750 AD, the glacier has receded between | | | | ridges at the surface. |
| protecting mountain spurs. Minor waterfalls trail narrow | | | | Walking tracks explore the surroundings of this |
| veils down wet rock faces, and little streams pass | | | | massive glacier. There is a steep climb, strictly for the |
| over shingle fans, down to the Fox River. | | | | physically fit but needing no more special equipment |
| The face of the glacier is partly buried in terminal | | | | than strong footwear, to the 1337 m top of Mount Fox. |
| moraine, but they is still a stupendous tumble of broken | | | | It rises through heavy forest of subtropical luxuriance, |
| ice, arching out over a cave from which the Fox River | | | | past the timberline to steep mountain slopes. This area |
| issues, white with powdery rock flour. Here and there it | | | | through the summer months is daubed liberally with |
| is checked by the mighty rubble from steep crumbling | | | | alpine flowers. From the summit there are fine |
| mountain walls. The whole valley is founded on ice of | | | | panoramic views; though magnificent views of the |
| unknown depth. It has been sounded to more than 300 | | | | glacier itself are obtainable from vantage points much |
| m without positively reaching rock bottom. | | | | more easily reached. |