Words and pictures by Todd Mizener
I used to wonder what it might have been like for Neil Armstrong to step out on the surface of the moon. After my recent adventure atop a glacier in Juneau Alaska I think I might have some vague idea.
3,500 feet above sea level and wearing those oversize snow boots you hated to wear as a kid I experienced the thrill of a lifetime as I dog sledded atop the middle branch of Alaska's Norris Glacier.
My adventure began at a heliport only 15-minutes from downtown Juneau Alaska but a long way from anywhere I had ever been before. At the heliport the helpful Era Helicopters staff ran through the usual safety talk one gets when taking a helicopter anywhere. They calculated how best to distribute the weight of the six passengers in our group between the two B-2 Astar helicopters.
An adventure seeking older couple from the east coast and I were coupled together and before before we knew it we were airborne in our red and white helicopter. We climbed straight up into the deep blue sky and headed off to our destination - the middle branch of the Norris Glacier.
The Norris Glacier is one of 35 major glaciers make-up the Juneau Ice field. This airborne Alaskan adventure was taking place on the fourth day of a 7 day Alaskan cruise. Most of our time prior to this excursion had been spent at sea aboard the Princess Cruise Lines' Star Princess.
By this time I had already come to the conclusion that Alaska must be the most beautiful place on earth. Our helicopter flight to the top of the glacier only confirmed my beliefs.
The hardest part of looking at glaciers from air or sea is trying to get a perspective on just how large they are while you are gazing at them. Flying over the glacier it seemed like we could reach out and touch the scenery. It wasn't until we came over the ridge and the pilot pointed to the mushers' camp that I really knew just how big the glacier we were about to land on was. The camp of 35 dogs, the staff and their small white shelters were mere pin pricks on the surface of the glacier as the mountain rock rose above the camp in the background.
Our helicopter swooped in on the camp like something out of an action-adventure movie. I was so anxious to get started that the pilot had to gently remind me of safety tip number one - wait until the the rotor prop has stopped before getting out of the helicopter. That way I get to enjoy my adventure and they don't have to clean-up the mess. A win win situation for everyone.
Stepping out of the helicopter on to the snow of the glacier I felt a little like astronaut Neil Armstrong. Here I was on a warmish 4th of July surrounded by nothing but snow and ice. Never before had I felt so small and so big all at the same time. Small because I was standing on top of a glacier that if it were to melt suddenly I would free fall nearly a mile in to the fiord carved out by the glacier. And big because I was about to experience something no Alaskan traveler (a polite term for tourist) before me had ever done - dog sled on the glacier.
There would be groups of six to follow but we were the first to experience this one-of a kind adventure. According to Dennis McDonnell of Era Helicopters, 'This is a one of a kind deal as it is the only dog sled ride on true snow during the summer. We use the middle branch of the Norris Glacier because snow remains year round on it.'
The excursion/adventure is the brain child of one of our guides Bob Kling, a former accountant turned professional dog handler. Mr. Kling, who now operates Nunatak Kennels, has also spent allot of time being a handler for various Iditarod mushers.
Mr. Kling came to Era's base manager Bill Zeman a couple of years ago with the idea of dog sledding on a glacier. Mr. Zeman liked the idea and started to work on the many details before offering such a trip to the public. Despite the red tape of the U.S. Parks Service and a skeptical marketing department the tour was being launched with us as it's first patrons.According to Era thanks to cruise ships (especially Princess Cruise Lines) every one of the departures following ours have been sold out.
Securing the permits for the dog sled tour took 1-year. One of the major stipulations of Era's agreement with the U.S. Parks Service is that 'nothing be left behind when we leave.' That even means everything dogs do - if you get my drift. The dogs were airlifted in by the same helicopters that brought us to the glacier and will come down the same way at the end of the summer.
Once the helicopter arrived, we split up into groups of three and were versed in the art of mushing. My group of three which included my father-in-law (Bob Wismer of Moline) and brother-in-law (Dr. Doug Allison of Manitowoc) was grouped with instructor/musher Bob Kling. The other 3 were with musher/instructor Libby Riddles, the first woman champion of the Iditarod Sled Dog race from Anchorage to Nome in 1989.
Our sleds consisted of two standard sleds connected by a rope and pulled by a team of dogs in the front. The instructor/musher drives the lead sled with one passenger while in the back sled one of us stands in the driver position with the other in the rider position.
Each of us got a turn at 'driving' the sled around the glacier. The only disappointing part of the experience was that the heavy wet snow kept us from taking more than two trips around the course. A course that would be comparable in distance to circling a football field. The dogs had to last the whole day and since we were trail blazers of sorts the trail had not been packed down as much as they needed it to be.
After the dog sledding was complete we got to meet the dogs and learn about their diet and training. One thing is certain, these beautiful animals love their work. They have a hard time sitting still and want to run all the time. They would run until they drop if the mushers would let them.
With our adventure atop the Norris glacier complete we took some parting photos and boarded the helicopter to head back to civilization.The ride down the mountain was almost as thrilling as the time on the glacier. The pilot gave us a flightseeing tour of three adjacent glaciers - the Taku, Hole in the Wall and Floating Dead Branch. Each glacier gave us a glimpse into the life cycle of a glacier.
Glaciers are large bodies of ice and snow which move down the mountain grinding and tearing at the landscape. The Taku Glacier is one of the few advancing glaciers. The Hole in the Wall Glacier is now a cascading glacier. The Norris Glacier is retreating and the mysterious floating Dead Branch Glacier, the youngest of the glaciers at between 57-77 years old, is also retreating.
As we buzzed over the top of these glaciers we oooed and awed at the spectacular scenery as if we were watching a massive fireworks display or maybe Orcas leaping from the ocean.
Whether you are walking, sledding or flying over a glacier you learn that the magic of this Alaskan treasure trove of nature is that it is untamed, untouched and unstoppable. The glaciers of Alaska are a thrill ride that moves so slow you can't even feel it but are as exhilarating as the fastest roller-coaster on earth.
Story and photos orginally published in The Dispatch - Copyright Todd Mizener 1997.
Cost of the 1 hour and 45-minute tour - $275-per person For more reservations or more information call 1-800-843-1947 Era web site: http://www.alaskaone.com/eracopters/