On Top of the World!

We've had several exciting days out here. Mom, Dad, and I hiked around the Mendenhall Glacier. The views are fantastic, and we saw many mountain goats, including a nanny and a kid! The trails do not lead too close to the glacier, but we took a helicopter up to Herbert Glacier. We flew over the mountains and the Mendenhall, and landed on the Herbert. We were able to spend about 30 minutes exploring. Seeing the blue colors in the glacier is difficult to describe, not because of the color but because of where and what it is. (Joel offers this helpful description: the color is the same as a blue raspberry snow cone.) Even though we know what glaciers are made of, we were surprised to see all of the ice (which makes sense because it is a glacier after all). But from a distance, it looks more like soft and fluffy snow banks. After falling on the glacier twice and sliding down once, I can attest that it is all ice. Ouch!

Our fishing trip did not reap any Kings, but it was fun nonetheless. We set out very early on Thursday morning with our Captain and the Popeye. We trolled near the Lynn Canal in an area called the Bread Line. The King season has not been great this year. They estimate 120 rod hours to catch one so it is understandable that our 16 hours (four poles for four hours) didn't yield any results. We were able to meet Amos, our captain's "pet" bald eagle. Amos answers a call given by the captain and swoops down to the water to eat a special snack.

This morning my folks headed back to south Texas. We were certainly blessed with a week full of sunshine, fun, and adventure. Joel and I are worn out from their "go-get-'em" spirit. It was a special time for all four of us!