Happy July! Glacier life is in full swing, complete with typical Juneau summer weather: rain. We’ve had a fair number of weathered or raining days up at the glacier, but that doesn’t seem to dampen the spirits of the tourists. Kids dressed in jeans and sweatshirts still make snow angels and adults still tote their thousand dollar cameras and photograph every nook and cranny of the glacier.
A few days ago, I gave a ride to one of the most cheerful and uplifting couples I’ve met. The two were from India on a month long adventure in the United States. At the risk of over-generalizing, I must say that most Indian groups that visit the glacier are reserved, terrified of the dogs, and somewhat demanding. However, this couple was incredibly friendly, loved the dogs, and easy to entertain. The husband was a social worker for an organization established by Mother Theresa. Every second of the tour, he was thanking God for such a beautiful day, beautiful dogs, and beautiful company. At the end of the tour, he insisted that I come visit them in India and left me with all their information. Even if it was ten years down the road, he told me to contact them for a home to stay. Just remind him that I was the musher from their dog sled trip in Alaska, and he would remember every moment of it. Their happiness was contagious.
My helicopter flight down from the glacier this past time was one of the most incredible yet. Jag, one of the main pilots, took the usual route down the glacier to Juneau, but instead of flying hundreds of feet above in a more or less straight shot, he followed close to the cliffs and dropped down close to the ground. Along the center of the glacier is a line of rocks called a medial moraine. From the air, the rocks look no larger than a dog. But as Jag showed us first hand, the rocks are in fact enormous boulders sometimes as large as a bus. He quickly dropped from the sky to just 25 feet above the ice explaining the geologic processes while we hurtled at 120 miles per hour just above the surface of the glacier. When the glacier dropped off into the trees, he looked over his shoulder and said, "I'm really not supposed to do this, but let's turn back and take a look at the front of the glacier." He grinned, then banked the helicopter into a tight turn so that the average passenger (like myself) felt the gripping weight of g forces pulling at their bodies. We made a small circle and flew right next to the vibrant blue, jagged surface of the bottom of the glacier. The dramatic view will forever be etched in my mind.
On my days off, I’ve found a rambunctious soccer crowd at the Silverbow Restaurant with whom to enjoy the World Cup. Unfortunately, the United States is out, but I’ve still loved following it nonetheless!
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