Jim Wesson

Juneau, capital of Alaska, is home of the famous Mendenhall Glacier and the surrounding Juneau icefield, excellent whale watching, the Mt Roberts Tramway, and the historic district in the downtown area. Tickets for the tram are good all day for as many trips of you care to make. Planning your own excursions seems to be a great way to go as it will save you money, give you flexibility, get you away from the "herd" that must by necessity exist for large ship tours. And you will have a much better chance of doing your first choice activity. In Juneau, Orca Enterprises takes you whale watching on a jet boat with 25 others. The ship tours book with 150 on board a larger slower vessel. You'll have more time on the water, be closer to whales and Orca will drop you at your next excursion if at all possible in their schedule. Try that on a bus with 60 passengers returning to the pier. Coastal Helicopter operates glacier landings independent of the ship's tours. Here is a summary of the experiences with these two companies.

Our family of five flew on the Coastal 1 hour glacier landing tour Saturday August 4, at 1PM and had a great time!!!!!!!! They were picked us up at the pier about 45 minutes prior to the flight and transportered our party and another couple to the airport about 10 miles away. The Herbert glacier landing and flight were memorable. Our pilot (JAG, his initials) was informative, friendly and took several pictures of us on the glacier. We did have to fill out the weight form on the van and they did verify with a scale in the office before the flight. This is a very important safety measure though and should be expected from a reliable company. Our preflight safety talk on the van was audible and clear.

The boots provided were less than ideal, and we would have been just as well off to wear the walking shoes we had on prior to the flight. The boots would have kept us warm however, if the weather had been cool. They also have hooded coats available if the clothing you arrive with is not warm enough for current weather conditions. After taking off the pilot took us on an ariel tour of the Mendenhall Valley and glacier, the harbor and the surrounding area. The Juneau ice field was clouded in and not visible. We flew to an altitude of about 2500 feet for the landing on Herbert Glacier, flying over breathtaking ridges, mountain peaks and jagged glacial ice formations. We also saw a mountain goat on the hillside above the glacier and had a nice tour of the area again on the way back to the airport. It is expensive; (Coastal is the lowest) $160 each for a 1 hour trip. Worth it though, as there are sights, sounds, and sensations that you experience on the trip that no words, pictures or other descriptions could possibly adequately depict. Go for it!!

Orca Enterprises took us whale watching about and hour after the glacier landing. We were so pumped from the helicopter flight that it really didn't seem to make much difference whether or not we saw any whales. But Captain Larry had about 20 other avid whale watchers to please and he was not about to disappoint. What we witnessed over the next 3 hours or so was the most amazing sight imaginable.

A pod of 6 or 7 humpback whales were feeding as a group in a process known as bubble net feeding. The whales would dive, form a circle and release a circle of bubbles around a school of fish. The fish, with a natural fear of the bubbles head toward the surface and center of the bubble net. After signaling or telling each other (the whale speak was audible to us from the hydrophone Captain Larry had placed in the water) that it was time to surface and capture their meal, the whales would simultaneously breach the surface, filling thier mouths with the catch. They would lounge around on the surface a bit and then dive again, raising their massive tails skyward on the way down to create another bubble net for the next feast. The whales continued this cooperative feeding over and over for the next couple of hours. Watching these whales feed in this manner was incredibly thrilling. The mate informed us that this behavior is somewhat rare and not often seen on whalewatching expedtions. This was confirmed by Michelle, Carnival's naturalist. It was a very, very special treat!! We were also able to observe seals, eagles, and other wildlife on the return trip from Auke Bay to the harbor. We were on sensory overload after the day in Juneau, shaking our heads in awe, disbelief and gratitude for the privileges granted us on this most memorable day.

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