Travel Date: Tuesday, May 3rd 2016
So after we left the ship, we walked to the local tour areas.
Time to find out what the local attractions are.
Ooh, a Helicopter Glacier Landing. That sounds exiting.
Sign us up.
We are "Living The Dream".
After we finish going up and down the Tramway of Mt. Roberts, we wait around for our tour bus.
Still waiting.
And still waiting.
And finally it gets in, and we hop in.
They drive us to the local airport.
Along the drive there they show us spots where eagles relax on the grass.
We get to the airport and clear the security barrier.
I love those mountains across from the runway.
There are those wonderful helicopters. One of those is our ride.
We walk into the office.
Each of us have to get weighed in. They use the weigh in information to distribute the weight as evenly as possible across the helicopter.
And then they have us put on snow shoes.
I really like how I just have to raise my feet, and they all the work for me. I feel like a king.
And now I'm ready to go.
Waiting on the rest to get fitted.
And then there is the special video production for safety and information purposes.
Before I head out, one of the staff tells me to grab an empty cup and take it with me to the glacier, if I wanted to drink cool glacier water. What a great idea!!! So I take three.
We head on outside.
Take some pictures together.
We get to know Marcelo and Vivien from Brazil.
And now it is time to get on the helicopter.
Annica and Mom get buckled in first in the front seats.
I get the back window.
We are all really really excited and ready for take off.
Sean, our pilot is checking in with the flight staff for clearance.
We are a go.
And we are off the ground.
As we go higher and higher the landscape around us grows more beautiful.
We get our first glimpse of the glacier.
Wow. Those look like tire track marks. But they are HUGE (YUGE!!)
We start climbing above the Glacier.
We are close to the mid-way point.
Now Sean begins to look for a landing spot.
And we land.
We all get out.
And stand on the glacier. It feels like standing on thick ice.
This what what is looks like on the glacier.
You can see a crevasse below.
This is what that really looks like.
Prospective is everything.
There are even mountain goats. Can you see them?
How about now?
As we navigate around the various crevasses we find deeper and clearer cracks.
I was tempted to jump in and join the Polar Bear club with this one, but I didn't see how I could get out.
A look around the various and ever changing glacier scenery.
More pictures.
We have to get one of Sean in there.
I walk around looking for a stream.
And then find out.
And then we drink together.
But I'm not done yet.
I love staring at them. Glaciers are so cool.
Finally, Sean tells us that it is time to pack up and head back home. Bummer!
And we head out. Now as I see those crevasses from above, they begin to have such "deeper" context.
Other views of the area.
And then begin to see the Mendellhall Glacier from a distance. This is the popular one that a lot of tourists visiting in Juneau go see.
We get closer to the airport.
And the surrounding town.
Finally we touch down, and get back in the van to be dropped off back in the town.
Clearing security again.
And the short drive back in Juneau. The nature of here is beautiful.
That was a really really awesome experience. We are all smiles!
Reflections:
This was honestly the highlight of the day. It was one of the coolest experiences I have had in my life. I think the only way I could top this is to jump into one of the crevasses and find a way to crawl out of there.
While the cost of the experience was pricey, I feel it was totally worth it. I recommend doing it with Living The Dream Alaska if you can swing the price.
Expenses:
$870.00: Helicopter Glacier Landing (Living The Dream Alaska - $290 per person)
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