Standing the Test of Time

In the mouth of a valley leading to Blockade Lake and its glacier looms a lone, craggy mountain, soaring hundreds of feet above the surrounding landscape. I found it while exploring the wilderness approaches to the glacial-bound mountains south of Mt. Spurr volcano. Eons of geologic forces—ice ages, earthquakes, grinding erosion—removed everything around it. And yet this rocky monument remains. At the same time, its pinnacles and ledges are festooned with lichens and moss, a harsh ecosystem onto itself. Life prevails in the most harsh locales.