Day 3 – Skagway

Wall of Fame 
Rock wall that cruise lines post their info

Of course as we awoke, the skies were grey.  All I can keep saying as I view the scenery is “50 shades of grey!”  I am sensing a pattern here.  Other travelers to Alaska are probably wondering where my unrealistic expectations of sunny and blue skies are coming from.  I am now hearing this dreary weather is more the norm.  It’s my boss’s fault!  My boss, the Sheriff told me that he had two friends on two different cruises in June and July of this year that had beautiful sunny, warm weather on their trip.  Checking the weather channel app prior to our trip confirmed what Darren had said, sun, sun, sun.  So it’s all Darren’s fault that my expectations were set so high!  Evidently this summer Alaska has experienced unseasonably warm temperatures and sunny skies.  In Anchorage they said it was their best summer ever. 



Constant reminders of the cruise that wasn't to be!

We departed the ship with no set plans.  We thought we would do some hiking and started off to explore the shore.  The hiking trail to Yakutania Point followed a trail along the coast and we found some interesting vantage points to view the surrounding mountains and water.  As we reached a small cove, Tony decided to start mountain climbing and I was eyeing some fireweed to somehow fit into my pictures.  As we were there the sky started to lighten and the sun started to appear.  YES!!!  About the same time I heard this unusual whooshing sound.  After the second time, I asked Tony if he heard it and what could it be?  Immediately after that we saw a whale break the water adjacent to the cove I was photographing.  He was just going out of view so we started to follow him back the way we came.  As we rounded the corner on the trail leading to the harbor, there was a crowd of people on the trail pointing to an area behind us.  There was a Golden Eagle in a branch not 30 feet away.  In addition, there was a pair of eagles down below us on a sandbar at the mouth of the river.  Wildlife galore!  I pulled out my big lens and started shooting.

At that point the grey skies had disappeared and were replaced with gorgeous blue skies with puffy white clouds.  Right past the eagles was the Temsco heliport that flew “Walk on the Glacier” tours.  The tours are very expensive so we didn’t want to prebook anything for fear of grey rainy weather.  However, it was a whole new ballgame now with blue skies, so we immediately hiked over to the heliport and were able to get on the next flight out.  In Alaska there are a lot of small aircraft.  For helicopters and small planes everything is based on weight.  So rather than worrying about weighing luggage, on these flights they weigh you!  Your seat in the helicopter was based on your weight as well as the other passengers.  We had a safety presentation, were issued an orange safety flight vest and were fitted with boots with cleats on the bottom for traction on the glacier.  We were lined up according to the weight configuration that was best for the flight.  The helicopter held 3 in the front and 4 in the back.  Tony and I were in the back with Tony by the window and me in the middle.  Forgive all the heads that are in the way of my pics!

The flight to the glacier was one of the most amazing things that we have ever done.  The scenery

and the perspective were incredible.  Flying up the face of the mountain in the helicopter, we were so close I felt you could almost touch it.  The motion of the helicopter was not bad, very noisy but they provided headphones with 2 way speakers to communicate.  The helicopter allowed you to get so close to the cliffs and the top of the mountains.  Along the way to the landing area we crossed over multiple mountains and glaciers, saw several azure glacial lakes high in the mountains and saw the glacial raceways that extended from high on the mountain down towards its terminus in the ocean.  The sights we saw could never be observed from just hiking.  Our tour included walking on the glacier for 40 minutes.  I thought that would be the highlight, but the helicopter ride was just as fantastic.  

We were heading for the Meade Glacier, part of the Juneau Icefield like the Mendenhall Glacier.  As we circled the area we saw a tent, evidently a local hangout for guides waiting for tourists.  As we landed, we were instructed to keep our heads 

 

down low and get out of the helicopter area.  Our guide was awaiting us and took us to various

areas of the glacier where we could see crevasses, running rivers on the glacier that had eroded

huge holes in the ice as the water made its way down from the glacier to the sea.  The sun was out

and the skies were beautiful the entire time.  You could not have had a better day.  The guide told
us the day before had been rainy, cold and lots of clouds, and today was about as good as it gets. 

After another amazing ride back down the mountain into town, we decided to check out the cute town of Skagway. 

 

First stop was the National Park Service building and I got my National Parks stamp for the Klondike Gold Rush National Historic Park. I had forgotten my Parks Passport book when we visited Mendenhall.  Skagway was another Alaskan town established in the 1890s when the gold rush started.  We then went through town looking at the historic buildings and window shopping through the town.  We decided that we needed to check out another local brewery, another Alaskan Brewery’s Alaska Amber for me. As we were leaving the brewery we ran into our Australian friends Kevin and Margaret.  We both seem to spend a lot of time in bars!  We both compared notes of our activities of the day and made our way back to the ship to set sail for Glacier Bay.