To Mendenhall Glacier by Helicopter

This Series To Mendenhall Glacier by Helicopter

Excursions in Juneau

During our stop in Juneau I tried to pack in as much as possible. Among the more popular excursions in town are whale watching, taking the tramway to Mount Roberts, seaplane flights around the surrounding mountains, and hiking and/or flying to Mendenhall Glacier.

For the more grounded visitors the town of Juneau also offers a plethora of jewelry shops that seem to me the foundation of modern Alaskan tourist towns. Folks also recommend the Red Dog Saloon...

Up to the Glacier

No glaciers in Hawaii, Southern California or Mexico, the main places I've resided, so trekking about on a glacier was a new experience. In hindsight I would have passed had I known how boring this would be. The walkabout was actually confined to a small area near the landing zone, which contained very few interesting geographical features. We observed and tasted a crystal-clear icemelt stream that rushed down the center of the glacier bound for Mendenhall Lake, and a striking but shallow crevasse. Whoop-dee-doo.

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Glacier Crevasse

When I attempted to stroll off looking for some shred of adventure one of the guides promptly ushered me back. Possibly a liability issue, or perhaps stragglers tend to leave yellow stains that last for a millennium. Either way it was a buzzkill. In all we spent an hour on the surface and that was enough. In the future I would prefer to go on a glacier hike with some friends on our own time. While driving to Valdez a series of exciting glaciers rolled by, notably Worthington Glacier.

Green Surrounding Mountains

The Helicopter Ride

At least the ride there and back was interesting. Departing from a private field near Juneau International Airport, we flew over Mendenhall Valley and its town, then over the glacier itself and up towards the vast Juneau Icefield that gives birth to numerous glaciers like Taku and Herbert. Helicopter rides are easy booked from various places in Juneau, or from the cruise ship excursion desk.

Trekking on the Glacier

From the air Mendenhall Glacier looks dirty and desolate. However it's actually quite clean; glaciers are inhospitable to life, including bacteria. The dirty appearance is due to rocky sediment from the surrounding mountains. This sediment is regularly washed clean by rain and icemelt. Perhaps in winter the glacier takes on a fresh white appearance after a snowfall.

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Refreshing Icemelt Stream

One of the highlights were the bright green mountains adjacent, and the view of the town.

After Mendenhall Glacier

This was just the first jaunt of the day. Upon returning to town I took the tramway up to Mount Roberts where my grandma, dad, sister and her two kids were having lunch. Then I rushed down to meet up with a group going whale-watching out in Stephens Passage and Lynn Canal north of Juneau.

Tags Flying, Glaciers