Crunch. Crunch. Crunch. I smiled as I dug my crampons forcefully into the ice underfoot. I'd forgot how satisfying that sound and sensation were — maybe even better than crunching through fallen leaves in autumn. Certainly better than the sound of ordinary hiking boots on packed earth. Crunch. Crunch. Crunch. Yes, there's something very special about hiking on ice with metal spikes attached to your feet. Mostly because the scenery usually looks like this: Alaska's Matanuska Glacier was not my first glacier hike (last year, I climbed on the Franz Josef Glacier in New Zealand). But I'm now convinced that glacier trekking is like bungy jumping: it doesn't matter how many times you do it — it's still guaranteed to be amazing. The morning of this particular glacier hike could not have been more perfect. It was cool and clear — ideal for some outdoor exertion. A group of us set off early from Anchorage, bound for the Sutton area and the Matanuska Glacier....