Last Sunday, finished with our work and desperately in need of a shower, Hilary and I decided to hike to Lake Hoare.  The hike took us along the the path mapped below:
Route to Hoare
We took our ATV to the eastern edge of Lake Bonney and hiked 5.5 miles east across Mummy and Popplewell Ponds, through ‘The Defile’ and down to Lake Hoare.
The whole hike was nice, but The Defile was something exceptional. The Defile is a narrow passage between the edge of Suess Glacier and the steep ridge to its south no more than 20′ across.
View through The Defile
It was an incredible experience hiking that close along the face of a glacier.  There are not many places in the world that it’s safe enough to do this.  Hilary took some great photos through here (my camera battery died) so a big thank you to her.
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An aside from Hilary:
The word ‘defile’ is most commonly used as a verb, meaning to sully. However, it is also a noun, and is defined as : A steep-sided, narrow gorge or passage (originally one requiring troops to march in single file).