One of the most popular ports on Alaska cruises is
Juneau. It’s a unique destination because there are no connecting roads to
other cities, making it only accessible by water (such as on a cruise) or air.
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| Glaciers are plentiful in southeastern Alaska. |
Nestled next to Gastineau Channel in the Alaskan
panhandle, Juneau is Alaska’s capital and second largest city. Mount Juneau
rises above the city’s downtown area, providing a scenic setting of mountains
and water. Boats from luxury cruise ships to local fishing boats and small
floatplanes fill the waterfront.
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| Mendenhall Glacier |
Above the historic downtown (included in the gold
rush) is 1500 square miles of pure glistening glacier known as the JuneauIcefield. Having flown via helicopter over these magnificent glaciers on a previous
visit---and landed for the quintessential Alaskan experience of dog sledding—we
opted for a small group photography excursion during our most recent cruise.
This excursion combined two of the things Juneau is
most known for—Mendenhall Glacier and Orca whales. We got good opportunities
for pictures of both.
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| Waterfall on our hike |
Because of the surrounding ice, many people don’t
realize that Juneau is deep in a temperate rain forest. There are more hiking
trails than roads, which makes it a perfect place for nature-lovers. So our
morning began with a hike on Steep Creek Trail to Mendenhall Glacier through a thick forest canopy. Located
in the Mendenhall Valley 14 miles from the city center, the glacier flows 12 miles
from its source and has a half-mile-wide face.
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| Dense vegetation in the forest |
Along the trail were posted year markers showing how
far the glacier had extended in the past. Since it loses about 75 feet a year,
the signs and photos showed a remarkable story of glacier retreating. Yet, the
geography and unique climate of the area has allowed Mendenhall Glacier to
survive much longer than other glaciers in North America.
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| Mendenhall Glacier extends around the upper left corner. |
Despite a report of a bear sighting on another
trail, we didn’t see any, even though salmon were plentiful in the surrounding
lake. Still we had a good look at the glacier and later spotted large, red
salmon darting among fallen branches and leaves in the water.
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| Lots of sea lions |
Following a
short bus ride to the harbor, we boarded a small boat designed for photography.
Large windows on both sides of the enclosed space opened fully to allow for
unencumbered picture-taking. During the boat tour we spotted a dolphin,
numerous sea lions, a sea otter floating on its back, and an eagle.
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| Whale tail as it descends into the water |
When we arrived at the area where Orcas hang out, it
didn’t take long to spot a female whale named Flame. She had a cub and ducked
underwater to escape prying human eyes. Another female whale named Riddler was
more accommodating, darting in and out of the water several times, allowing us
to take numerous quick photos.
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| Tell-tale spout before a whale surfaces |
Once the Orca’s tail has gone under water, it is
generally 10 minutes or so before the whale will surface again. But you never
know just where that will be. So we were all mesmerized watching for the spout
of water that signals a whale about to surface.
Too soon it was time to head back to the ship where
we heard about other outdoor adventures that cruisers had enjoyed including canoeing
near the glacier, flight seeing, dog sledding, exploring native art, zip lining
in the forest, river rafting, and salmon fishing.
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