11. At Last, A Trip to the Famous Mendenhall Glacier

The Mendenhall Glacier is probably the top tourist destination in the Juneau area.
Since Fluffy and her travel companions had already seen plenty of glaciers, they figured that maybe they could overlook this attraction. However, after saying adieu to Gustavus and arriving to Juneau with little money but a full day and a half to spend before their flight out, the famous glacier seemed to be the perfect diversion. They hopped on one of the many $7 per person (each way) buses that runs frequently from the cruise port downtown up to the glacier, and assumed they would just walk/bus or taxi it back to the airport on their way out.


They were glad they didn't miss this place! Yes, there were many tourists. A couple Japanese tour buses had just unloaded and it almost felt like being in a foreign country. Luckily, there are a few different trails so people can disperse easily enough. Fluffy particularly enjoyed some of the bear and/or curious tourist trails that wind through the dense forests adjacent to glacier's outlying ponds.


It was a magnificent time of year to visit the Mendenhall, as the alder leaves were just starting to change color and a mysterious fall fog lingered over the chilly fresh water. Graceful icebergs drifted across the lake like abandoned swan boats in a city park. Breathing in the fresh Alaskan air, the group was glad to spend their last hours before their flight in such a peaceful place.





The peace was interrupted as they meandered across the parking lot to another trail and found an entire boardwalk scurrying with tourists in plastic ponchos trying to get an up-close photo of a black bear who had obliviously just wandered by. Feeling claustrophobic on the narrow pathway, the group decided it was a good time to check out the Visitor's Center.

Boy, was Fluffy in for a treat! She's always a fan of environmental education and interpretive exhibits, but this center really took it to the next level for a small rabbit. It was as if they had made the displays for her! She was able to climb up right next to a glacier, explore an ice cave with a climber, and -- oops! -- even fall head first into a cold crevice. She made it out just fine, and never got in trouble with any of the U.S. Forest Service staffers who were surveilling the premises.








Next up in the Visitor's Center, Fluffy was able to experience her top fears and fantasies! She burrowed into a mountain goat pelt (who's fur she had always fancied from afar), resting dreamily for a few minutes as she pretended that she was stowing away on a fearless journey along steep alpine cliffs.


She was then distracted by an interactive TV screen with information about Juneau's native salmon. She watched that for a while and particularly enjoyed the underwater video segments.

Then she saw that she had a great opportunity to play a prank on her friends. Without anyone seeing, she hopped into the agape jaw of a REAL bear! Only the bear was not alive. But the sight still gave everyone the chills (including Fluffy). Or maybe it was just Fluffy who had frightened herself, and everyone else though it was adorable. She hopped back out and retreated to the mountain goat fur until it was time to leave for the airport.

10. New Alaskan Friends

Fluffy has no problem hanging out with humans -- she is, after all, a bit anthropomorphic herself. She had made friends with the squirrels who lived under the tent and was amicable with some of the local moose. But it wasn't until a certain fellow named Tubby E'Gull joined their tent family that she felt a real connection to another wild creature. It was exciting hanging out with Tubby because he is a genuine Alaskan bald eagle. He had many amusing stories about scavenging the beach for washed-up halibut (of which some might say he ate a tad too much), and having difficulties staying airborne after a particularly sizable feast.


It was nice having another animal around to spend time with when the people were away at work. Tubby was always ready to go flightseeing, have a snack, or pay a board game. He was a very versatile friend.

He also introduced her to young sea otter named Lucy. While she was a very sweet creature, Fluffy admitted to feeling somewhat intimidated. Fluffy's name seemed like a far-reaching claim next to Lucy, who (being a sea otter) is one of the most densely furred animals in the world. But then Lucy complemented Fluffy's hip "just got out of bed" furstyle, and that made her feel better. She didn't tell Lucy that it really was only because she had just gotten out of bed. E'Gull knew what a big napper Fluffy was and chuckled to himself but didn't say anything.

6. A First Trip to See Glaciers

It's hard to spend time in Glacier Bay without visiting the glaciers. After about a month in Gustavus, Fluffy and her friends finally found a day in which they could all take the Lodge's tour boat (the official tour boat concessionaire of the Park) up bay, a 50 mile journey each way. This tour would allow them to get up close to some of Alaska's most famous ice flows which they had already seen in many a postcard and coffee table book but never with their own eyes. They managed to finagle cheap tickets from a staff member acquaintance and were prepared to drink enough complimentary coffee and tea to get the remainder of their fare's worth.


The boat's route can vary significantly depending on the day, but all commercial motorized vessels are limited to the West Arm of the bay. While both arms provide breathtaking scenery and impressive glaciers, the West Arm boasts taller mountains and cliffs. Additionally, a few of the world's last advancing glaciers are found here, thanks to the endless amount of snow accumulating annually in the adjacent Fairweather mountains.


Their itinerary that day included an extended pause at South Marble Island to view hoards of stinky stellar sea lions, as well as puffins and cormorants perched upon the limestone cliffs. Afterwards, they diverted briefly into Tidal Inlet, a common place to spot brown bears. Sure enough, at the alluvial mouth of a glacial creek skulked a lone brown bear, poking his nose around intertidal rocks in search of a snack or two. This was Fluffy's first encounter with a brown bear (she had previously seen some smaller black bears around Gustavus and the Park lodge), and while she was struck by its towering size and hulking mammalian presence, she also felt a certain solidarity with the impressively furry, wild and adventurous creature.


Next destination was the famous Johns Hopkins Inlet, a favorite photo opportunity of cruise ship clientele. A whipping wind shot out from the glacier to join the rainy grayness of the day, and many tour boat passengers decided to stay indoors with their hot cocoa instead of suiting up to face the cold precipitation. Fluffy would not be deterred, although admittedly she had the advantage of a thick fur coat.


The sculptural glacier calved several times, thunderously crashing clouds of ice below as if dynamite had been set a few feet within the wall of ice. Towering waves slowly rolled toward the icebergs that filled the bay, rocking harbor seals back and forth. After the "oohs" and "ahhs" subsided, the inlet returned to its seemingly preternatural silence.


Small icebergs started to close in around the boat, an unpleasant surprise for the ship's distractedly chatty captain. Turning 180, the boat slowly picked its way through the hearty stew of ice, and eventually the captain's knuckles ceased to match the mountain snow. Fluffy requested one or two last photos to be taken, and then retreated to the damp indoor seating to nap for a couple hours until they returned to dock in Bartlett Cove.