Lynna

We visited Juneau on our Dawn Princess cruise in May 2004. While in Juneau, we had chosen to go glacier trekking with Northstar Trekking. We had booked independently with Northstar several months prior. Initially we attempted to use their Web reservation form. After filling out the form online, we called several hours later to complete the reservation. The receptionist had no clue what we were talking about and claimed that the new reservations hadn’t been downloaded yet. She took our name and phone number and promised to call us back that evening.

Three days later we gave up on her returning the call. The other way to make a reservation is via fax. This time we were successful. We received an e-mail asking us what time we preferred. A confirmation letter arrived in the mail two weeks later. Based on our experience, we would recommend using the fax reservation form.

Northstar Trekking does not offer pick-ups at the pier for those who book independently. Instead we were scheduled to meet them at the Red Dog Saloon at 9am. Northstar asks that you call them the day of your tour to confirm. Fortunately, our Sprint cell phones were able to find signal. We called Northstar to confirm our pick-up and then wandered around downtown Juneau since we were early. Unfortunately, we discovered that most stores opened at 9am. Our driver arrived around 8:45 and we headed for the airport. Two other couples joined us from the cruise ship. We were outfitted with a jacket, pants, boots, gloves, and a hip pack. The guides recommended leaving our fleeces and we were glad that we did. The weather in Juneau that day was upper-60s and sunny.

The helicopter ride up to the glacier was stunning. Our pilot commented that he normally couldn’t take this route due to the weather. However, it was a perfect day. We met our two guides on the glacier and were joined by a photographer. Since the weather was so perfect, they were taking photos for next year’s promotional literature. We were given our crampons, ice axes, and a brief lesson on how to walk in crampons. From there, we were off to explore. One of our guides had recently taken a class on glaciers and geology and pointed out lots of interesting features along the way. We climbed up a few hills, forged a few streams and discovered a place where two streams came together. Since one of them had been underground, it had carved a small cavern. We each ventured into it. As people worked their way in, you would hear the exclamation as they discovered the deep and varying shades of blue. After about two hours, we located our helicopter and hiked back. Since there was not a large afternoon tour scheduled, we had the opportunity to be a little more adventurous without having to worry about leaving wet gear for the next group. The entire tour took a little over four hours.

Although we had a rough start trying to make a reservation, we would highly recommend this excursion. You do not need to be in great shape in order to participate. Our guides were always putting safety first and ready to provide any assistance necessary. This was certainly one of the highlights of our two week trip through Alaska.

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