Mendenhall Glacier

Funny how some words stick and affect all your perceptions. In Glacier Bay we saw Marjorie Glacier. With that pretty name, we saw a feminine side, a beauty that stood out in the rugged landscape. Aboard ship, we were awestruck as we watched her calve.

Today, we are outside the Alaskan Capitol city of Juneau, off a tour bus and standing on a viewing platform that would have been under the Mendenhall Glacier just fifty years ago. A masculine name attached to the glacier, just as much a frozen river as any other, lends it a strength that makes it a perfect complement to Marjorie. It even has more blue color to it.

The Mendenhall setting is quite peaceful, with a trail promoting movement. As you walk, you see the glacier in differing angles and differing lights, and you see the still water acting as a reflecting pool for various islands and trees. Many interesting and colorful birds fly all through the area, adding more to see and trilling their summer songs. The adventure of memories includes all the senses, and Alaska has treats for ears as well as eyes.

We left Mendenhall on the way to a beautiful garden. We stop there on the next post.