Actually, I touched a piece that had broken off Exit Glacier.  Well, more specifically, I touched a piece of the glacier that had broken off then floated down the swollen Resurrection River.  Ok, it was a piece of the glacier that had floated down the river and had been retrieved by a Ranger and brought to the Visitor Center.

Alright, the totally unimpressive real story:  I touched a piece of ice on the porch of the visitor center that a Ranger told me he had plucked from the river after it broke free from Exit Glacier and was carried downstream to a gravel bar.

Still, I touched ice that was formed from snow that fell 100s of years ago, has been compressed to clear blue ice as part of the Harding Icefield, and has spent over 50 years flowing down Exit Glacier to wind up at the river’s edge and ultimately right here at the Visitor Center.  Just amazing! (at least I think so)