Kimberly Habeeb, Marketing Department
November 19, 2019
While looking through the different shore excursions offered by Holland America, the Mendenhall Glacier Native Canoe Adventure was the first to catch my eye. Canoeing is new to me, but I grew up kayaking all over California. It sounded exciting! I was most looking forward to getting up close and personal with the glacier.
When we arrived in Juneau, it was a bit chilly, about 52 degrees, and the sky was cloudy with light rain. We disembarked the ship and waited near the bus stop next to someone holding a sign with the name of our excursion on it. The bus finally arrived to pick us up and we drove around to the other two Holland America ships that were also in port to pick up our other paddlers. I wish I could remember our bus driver’s name because he had a great personality with lots of knowledge of the area. He was born and raised in Juneau, has lived there his whole life, and is now raising his family there. He is a member of one of the Tlingit clans of Southeast Alaska. His insight on the local indigenous culture was really interesting. On our ride to Mendenhall Lake, he pointed out important buildings and told us some fun facts. He also pointed out every time we were passing a bald eagle sitting atop a light post along the highway. After about a 25-minute bus ride, we arrived at Mendenhall Lake.
Our guide, John, met us at the bus, had us sign a waiver and sent us to the bathrooms to prepare for our journey. We were provided rain gear that included big orange waterproof pants and we all used our own rain jackets and gloves. There were about 14 of us total participating. John gave us a walkthrough of what to expect and then asked for 2 of us to volunteer as leads. Since no one jumped at the chance, my boyfriend, Sam, volunteered us. We were in charge of setting the pace of the other paddlers, while staying in-sync ourselves. The only other people on the lake were about 5 kayakers and one other canoe. It made the trip seem very exclusive, since the U.S. Forest Service limits the amount of people allowed each day.
November 19, 2019
While looking through the different shore excursions offered by Holland America, the Mendenhall Glacier Native Canoe Adventure was the first to catch my eye. Canoeing is new to me, but I grew up kayaking all over California. It sounded exciting! I was most looking forward to getting up close and personal with the glacier.
When we arrived in Juneau, it was a bit chilly, about 52 degrees, and the sky was cloudy with light rain. We disembarked the ship and waited near the bus stop next to someone holding a sign with the name of our excursion on it. The bus finally arrived to pick us up and we drove around to the other two Holland America ships that were also in port to pick up our other paddlers. I wish I could remember our bus driver’s name because he had a great personality with lots of knowledge of the area. He was born and raised in Juneau, has lived there his whole life, and is now raising his family there. He is a member of one of the Tlingit clans of Southeast Alaska. His insight on the local indigenous culture was really interesting. On our ride to Mendenhall Lake, he pointed out important buildings and told us some fun facts. He also pointed out every time we were passing a bald eagle sitting atop a light post along the highway. After about a 25-minute bus ride, we arrived at Mendenhall Lake.
Our guide, John, met us at the bus, had us sign a waiver and sent us to the bathrooms to prepare for our journey. We were provided rain gear that included big orange waterproof pants and we all used our own rain jackets and gloves. There were about 14 of us total participating. John gave us a walkthrough of what to expect and then asked for 2 of us to volunteer as leads. Since no one jumped at the chance, my boyfriend, Sam, volunteered us. We were in charge of setting the pace of the other paddlers, while staying in-sync ourselves. The only other people on the lake were about 5 kayakers and one other canoe. It made the trip seem very exclusive, since the U.S. Forest Service limits the amount of people allowed each day.
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The first thing I noticed… canoeing is very different than kayaking. Your arms tire a lot quicker when you are only paddling on one side versus both. However, with the extra help, a canoe moves much faster than a kayak. At different times during the trip, the rain really picked up and was falling right into our faces. Not the most pleasant feeling, but once we faced the glacier it was well worth it. It took us about 40-minutes to get around the small peninsula and face the glacier. We paddled pretty steadily and every so often John would tell us he wanted 10 more rows before we got a break.
Once we saw the face of the glacier, our complaining stopped. There were a few big icebergs, that John told us, broke off about 5 days prior. He explained how lucky we were to see the icebergs, especially ones that just broke off recently. They were the most incredible shade of icy blue. John told us that newer icebergs kept their color and as they age, they begin to turn more white. We were also told that these pieces of ice were about 100 times stronger than the ice we are familiar with because of how long it had been compacting together. We were able to paddle so close that we could almost touch the icebergs.
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It was interesting to learn about the glaciers melting and how closely they are being monitored. John explained that about 50 years from now the Mendenhall Glacier would most likely be a waterfall flowing into the lake with the actual glacier behind it. In 90 years, the glacier would be too far away to see from around the lake.
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We turned around and started heading toward Nugget Falls, a waterfall from another glacier that was previously there. We made it to the beach and had about 10-minutes to explore, take some pictures, and have a small snack of cheese, crackers, and some hot chocolate. Sam and I took a selfie in front of the waterfall. When there were a few less people right in front, we asked a canoe partner to take our picture. Before we were able to pose, Sam decided to take the opportunity to propose. He said, “well I figured while we stand in front of Nugget Falls, I would give you a nugget.” And of course, I said yes. But what a surprise! I decided to put the ring back in the box and in his jacket pocket because I was too worried it would fall off while paddling back. We even got some great photos in our ugly orange rain pants.
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The ride back went a bit quicker as we were no longer paddling into the wind. It probably took us 30-minutes. We walked up to the gear trailer and returned all of our gear and changed back into our warm, dry clothes as we waited for the bus to return. There was a 5:00pm group going out right after us. I would not recommend a late afternoon excursion at the end of the season in September, since it got dark around 7:00pm and they would be paddling back in the dark. Something to think about!
On the ride back, the driver made 3 different stops if people wanted to be left off in town to grab some dinner or do some shopping. Sam and I found a nice restaurant to have a fish dinner and celebrate before stopping at some shops on our way back to the ship. We found a local art gallery where local artists sold their artwork and gifts. We were able to find a hand-painted ornament of the Mendenhall Glacier and Nugget Falls to hang on our tree and remember our engagement this Christmas.
I highly recommend this shore excursion! The weather could have been a bit better and I am sure it would be earlier in the season. But it was such an unforgettable experience, with great guides, phenomenal scenery, some adventure, and memories.
On the ride back, the driver made 3 different stops if people wanted to be left off in town to grab some dinner or do some shopping. Sam and I found a nice restaurant to have a fish dinner and celebrate before stopping at some shops on our way back to the ship. We found a local art gallery where local artists sold their artwork and gifts. We were able to find a hand-painted ornament of the Mendenhall Glacier and Nugget Falls to hang on our tree and remember our engagement this Christmas.
I highly recommend this shore excursion! The weather could have been a bit better and I am sure it would be earlier in the season. But it was such an unforgettable experience, with great guides, phenomenal scenery, some adventure, and memories.
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