Mendenhall glacier

A short bus ride out of Juneau is a hiking trail up to the Mendenhall glacier. Bear warnings are everywhere as the rangers are paranoid about bear attacks. As the spring was so late and the salmon haven't started running yet, large groups of hungry and grumpy bears are starting to form. I bought a bear bell to attach to my rucksack to let them know I was coming but it still feels uncomfortable walking in bear country. There are also cans of bear spray that you can buy but they're pretty expensive and you can't take them on planes so I'd have to buy a new one every couple of weeks.

Luckily a father and son (Bob and James) were heading up the trail so I tagged along with them. It was a fair stiff hike along a mountain path and to get to the glacier we had to go off the trail for about an hour but the 'unofficial' route had been well marked.

So after a great scramble through thick under growth and over rocks we got to the edge of the glacial moraine and then climbed or slid down the loose rock and onto the glacier. If you were very quiet you could hear water running and a bit of creaking. To get so close to an enormous body of ice felt amazing. Another couple turned up next to us put spikes on their wellies and hiked off to look for the ice caves. Rather them than me. It all looked pretty unstable and crevasses were opening up all the time. It was about a 12 mile hike all told and mostly on rough ground so shattered and starving by the Romeo got back. Dinner and beer needed!