When we purchased our inflatable kayak online just before turning north for Alaska, we hoped we’d find a nice lake somewhere along our journey to test her out. We never expected to kayak out to a glacier! But when we learned the main way of getting to walk around on Mendenhall Glacier in Juneau was through a “flightseeing” tour on a helicopter that landed atop it (to the tune of hundreds of dollars per person), we looked at each other, turned back to the ranger, and asked, “Exactly how far would it be to kayak out there from the visitor’s center?” And so our adventure began.
Mendenhall Glacier as seen from the visitor’s center
At 13 miles long, Mendenhall Glacier pours out into a lake bearing its name in the middle of the Tongass National Forest. Despite 100 ft. of snow annually, it retreats a bit each year. The lake is opaque with silt formed by the glacier grinding down rock as it slowly descends the mountain. An informative visitor’s center boasts a theater and displays so guests can learn more about the giant sheet of compacted ice. From there, it’s about two miles to the glacier as the crow flies. There is a stopping point, however, about halfway in at Nugget Falls.
It only took about ten minutes for Ali and the kids to inflate our kayak with the pump that came with it.
Since our kiddos wanted to take turns kayaking, Nabeel and I (Jenni) paddled away with a plan to meet the rest of the family at the gorgeous waterfall. It was a bit scary to test our brand new kayak in frigid, 38°F water, but it held up very well.
Nugget Falls itself is beautiful, but it’s also only half the distance to Mendenhall Glacier as is the visitor’s center. So the views are better. If you go, keep your eyes peeled; the day we visited, we saw a mountain goat way up near the top!
For the family, it was an easy 15 minute walk down a trail to get to Nugget Falls. For Nabeel and me, it turned out to be a rigorous fight against a strong current the entire way. But after about 45 minutes (and a brief and undesired detour when we got pushed off course), we finally arrived and gave our other children a turn to try their hands at kayaking.
If we stopped paddling for even a few seconds, the current would begin to turn us away from the glacier. There’s a little floe, an ice chunk, that broke off the glacier and floated by.
Eventually, after taking the kids home and returning, Ali and I got a chance to go all the way out to Mendenhall. What an incredible and exciting challenge! For one, although we knew by then that the kayak was sea-worthy and capable, Ali and I together, along with a bunch of camera gear, were just about pushing the 400 lb weight limit. And we’d be going further than before, farther from shore, and against an increasingly more powerful current as we approached the glacier.
As we headed out, we wished we had been better prepared to stay warm and dry. Though the kayak itself is watertight so long as you keep the drain plug closed (not that we learned from experience or anything…), a lot of water dripped in from the paddles, soaking our gloves and legs. If only we had been equipped with waterproof gear, this would have made our journey much more pleasant.
It was exciting to get closer and closer to the beautiful glacier with its blue hues. The vibrant color is caused by tightly compacted snow, which becomes ice and absorbs all colors of the spectrum except blue.
In the beginning, we were full of energy. By the time we approached Mendenhall, fighting the current became exhausting work. We paddled with all our might and finally made it to the banks of the lake. After pulling the kayak up to a safe place where it could not be washed away, we began our short trek along a rough path to get to a place where we could scurry atop the glacier and enjoy the view.
Looking back toward Nugget Falls and the visitor center from the banks of the lake next to Mendenhall
Was is difficult to get out there? Yes, without a doubt, it took some effort. But was it worth it? Again, without a doubt, I can answer with a resounding, “Yes!” While I’m sure a helicopter tour affords some seriously amazing views entirely different from anything to be seen from the ground, we loved our trip!
We made it and are finally standing on top of Mendenhall Glacier!!!
It’s not just that we got to experience walking on top of a glacier; we felt accomplished. The very act of getting there was invigorating, and we were able to enjoy the fruits of our labors, taking in the unique landscape, exploring crevasses, and snapping photos. And at the end of it all, we got to paddle back with the current.
The towering peaks of ice and snow glow blue in the sunshine.
I think one of the best parts of the day was knowing that with the kayak, a new method of exploration had just opened up to us, and we’d be able to see things in a way we hadn’t had the opportunity to do before. So here’s to the next adventure!
Where has your kayak taken you? Leave us a note in the comments of some of your favorite places to paddle, and perhaps we can get there one day along our RVing road trip!
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