By: Ruby Borden, Carleton College
2025 Taku Round River Crew hiking along Llewellyn’s lateral moraine. Photo: Lauren Schagel.
Hi, I’m Ruby and I’m a part of the 2025 Round River Conservation crew in the Taku program here in northern British Columbia. We are currently on a five-night, six day backpacking trip to Llewelyn Glacier to complete preliminary vegetation surveys and ungulate surveys.
As a Geologist, I was very very very excited to see my first glacier. Below is my candid reaction to seeing Llewellyn for the first time.
Ruby seeing Llewellyn. Photo: fearless leader Ben Szydlowski.
Llewellyn Glacier accumulated and advanced sometime between 300AD and 500AD becoming one of the largest glaciers in British Columbia. Now as our climate becomes increasingly warmer, it is of interest to the Taku Tlingit and their partner Round River Conservation Studies to investigate how our warming climate is affecting Llewellyn and the surrounding ecosystems. We were especially interested in what preliminary vegetation colonized the recessional moraines (piles of glacial debris) to the north of Llewellyn’s retreat.
Map of Location of Llewellyn Glacier in relation to Atlin Lake and the Juneau Icefield. Photo: Google Maps.
As our climate warms and glaciers recede it has been speculated that glacial moraines will become more stable as vegetation begins to colonize the landscape. This is important because glaciers work like giant bulldozers to flatten and carve landscapes, removing soil and any biological matter. As glaciers retreat, they leave behind fine clay particles, glacial till, and giant boulders. This barren rock and clay are susceptible to weathering and erosion creating unstable slopes. Vegetation such as lichens, mosses, and Mountain Avens help to recolonize these slopes and bring life back into a barren landscape.
Pictures of Glacial outwash plain. Photo: Ruby Borden.
Between vegetation surveys we got to experience a taste of life on a glacial moraine. River Crew at camp on glacial moraine. Photo: Gabriel Kayano, fearless leader.
Before visiting Llewellyn, when I pictured glaciers, I envisioned bone chilling winds and snow-covered landscapes. What we found instead was a vast expanse of rocky till and endless clay dust. During the day we were pleasantly warm with a slight breeze from the southern icefield. At night, our tents were shaken by icy wind and swirling clouds of dust that covered everything from our sleeping bags to our cookware.
Birthday Girl Katie and Round River crew hiking along lateral moraine. Photo: Ben Szydlowski.
Karyssa, Ruby, and Ben hiking back to camp. Photo: Ben Szydlowski.
Despite the tumultuous climate, we were lucky to have five sunny days for exploration. We spent most days hiking along the precarious moraines trying to avoid potential Grizzly bear encounters (See Karyssa’s blog for more info). At the end of the day, we would eat a hearty meal of Mac and Cheese or a (fan favorite) Ramen Bomb and play a ruthless game of Hearts.
At the end of the day, we each took a piece of the glacier home with us, some of us as dust in our boots and others as pounds of rocks we carried in our packs…
Round River Crew at Llewellyn. Photo: Gabriel Kayano.