Alaska
opportunity to experience its majesty by soaring over mountain tops to see, land and walk upon its hundreds and thousands of years of natural history buried deep in the blue ice, I almost forgot that it would also be my first helicopter ride. Once on the tarmac, we climbed into our aerial taxi, fastened our seat belts and put on headsets to muffle the whirring of the motor and communicate with the pilot. Smiles of excited anticipation grew on our faces as the rotors spun faster, softly lifting us into the air. The flight to Mendenhall Glacier was smooth and thrilling all at the same time, offering breathtaking scenery of the surrounding area that’s otherwise inaccessible. As we flew over forests, past cliff faces and through valleys, our pilot pointed out various wildlife, including a large bear and mountain goats moving along on the hill sides. Then, as we came around
Thousands of years before my father made his first trip to Alaska, the massive Juneau Icefield began to spawn the 35- plus major glaciers that pour from it today, including Juneau’s famed Mendenhall Glacier. Naturally, this glacier drew its first names from the native Tlingit tribe, calling it either Sitaantaagu (“Glacier Behind the Town”) or Aak’wtaaksit (“Glacier Behind the Little Lake”). In the late 1800s, John Muir called it Auk Glacier after the A’akw (Auk) Kwáan clan in one of his journal entries. Then, in 1892, while helping to helm a successful land survey that settled an important boundary question regarding Southeast Alaska, Thomas Corwin Mendenhall received the honor of having the glacier named after him. Today, with its proximity to the city and relative ease of access, Mendenhall Glacier is the most popular attraction around Juneau. And when I realized we had the
The flight to Mendenhall Glacier was smooth and thrilling all at the same time, offering breathtaking scenery of the surrounding area that’s otherwise inaccessible.
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