Mendenhall Glacier and Whale Watching

Juneau was our next port of call. This city of about 33,000 people is the capital of the State of Alaska. It was named after Joe Juneau, one of the men who discovered gold in the nearby Gold Creek in 1880. It became the capital of the territory in 1906, when the District of Alaska was moved from Sitka to Juneau. It remained the capital after statehood.




In 1970, Juneau merged with the city of Douglas and the surrounding borough to become a unified municipality with an area larger than both Rhode Island and Delaware. Though Juneau sits on the Alaska mainland, it is inaccessible except by boat or plane due to the very rugged terrain it sits in. It is located in the Gastineau Channel between Mount Juneau and Mount Roberts. Some of the spots in the city that tourists frequent are the State Capitol building, the Alaska State Museum, the Last Chance Mining Museum, and the Red Dog Saloon. We had considered riding on the Mount Roberts Tramway, an aerial tram that rises up to 1,800 feet above the docks to show the riders a panorama of the city and surrounding mountains, but we decided it was too high for comfort!
 Instead, we purchased a day-long excursion with two events away from the city. The first event was an amazing visit to the Mendenhall Glacier. Located in the Juneau Icefield, Mendenhall Glacier is about 13.5 miles long. It was named after physicist Thomas Mendenhall, who surveyed the border between Canada and Southeast Alaska.



The Mendenhall Glacier Recreation Area, located within the Tongass National Forest, includes several trails which may be used by hikers, but we decided not to explore these after we were warned there may be wildlife including bears present!


We chose to use the gradual grade of the paved walking path instead. The Visitors' Center operated by the USDA Forest Service sits on the crest of the hill overlooking the glacier and Mendenhall Lake. Its large windows give visitors some magnificent views with binoculars included to enhance the experience. This photo is found at the following website: http://www.alaska.org/detail/mendenhall-glacier-visitor-center.
Displays explain details about the glaciers and park rangers are available for conveying information. While we enjoyed our viewing experience from the center, the highlight of the visit was walking down the pathway to Mendenhall Lake, where we got a closer look at the glacier and the nearby waterfalls.



Mendenhall is classified as a retreating glacier, with researchers reporting that it has retreated 1.75 miles since 1929 when the formation of Mendenhall Lake began as a result of runoff from glacial melting. Both the glacier and the lake provide magnificent scenery while also giving  a visual example of the dangerous consequences of global warming.
The second event of our excursion was a whale watch trip on a catamaran. The boat itself was quite spacious and comfortable with large viewing windows in the interior plus an open upper deck. There were snacks available and an enthusiastic narrator who very much reminded me of a friend in Nebraska.

We launched from Auke Bay, an area well known for its humpback whales. We did indeed spot several whales, both inside the bay and also out in open water when we entered the Stephen's Passage. However, we were unable to snap any photos of these amazing animals due to the speed at which they dove back under water after very brief surfacing. It seems that every time we saw a whale pop up and got the camera trained on it, the whale had retreated back under the water. Still, it was thrilling to see brief views of them. We also saw sea lions perched on ocean buoys they had claimed as their rest area.

After about 90 minutes of touring along the coastline, we arrived at our lunch destination, the Orca Point Lodge on Colt Island. We enjoyed a buffet lunch of baked Alaska salmon, side dishes, and brownies at the resort. After eating, we were able to walk along the beach of the island and enjoy the scenery.     
Our return trip was just as beautiful as the trip out to the island, with many views of solitary coastal homes, lighthouses, and forests. It was fun to imagine what life might be like for those people living a solitary life along the shore in one of these houses.


We returned to shore, walked along the boardwalk for a bit, and returned to the MS Zaandam. We spent the evening on board our cruise ship, dining at the Pinnacle Grille and relaxing after a satisfying day.



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