Alaska is one of those rare places that makes you feel tiny, in the best way… like you’re standing at the edge of something ancient and sacred.
I thought I knew what to expect when I signed up for a helicopter ride to a glacier and trek across the ice. I mean, dramatic views, sure. But what I actually experienced? Absolutely next level.
Flight of a Lifetime
It all started with the thrill of the helicopter lift-off. Headsets on, blades slicing through the air, and then…whoosh….we were airborne, leaving the rugged Alaskan terrain below. I was glued to the window. Jagged mountain peaks, flowing water, and sprawling forests unfolded beneath us like a National Geographic cover brought to life.
Trekking on Ice
We followed our guide to the edge of a deep crevice melt hole that disappeared into who knows what depths. We stopped for photos of the blue ice walls. They reached high above the hole with water running down it into the depths of the hole before continuing on our trek across the glacier. Every few minutes our guide would stop and share a glacier fact or show us something amazing like how the turns vibrant blue where it’s most dense.
Trekking made me feel like a true explorer… and prompted my Aunt to start calling me Dora the Explorer after seeing the photo above!
Glacier Time
The moment we landed, the silence struck me. Aside from the crunch underfoot, there was nothing but crip, clean air and ice. Our guide handed us trekking poles and walked us through the glacier safety (because crevasses are real). Then we were off, stepping out into the frozen blue world.
It felt like walking on an ancient secret. I was thinking about how ancient this ice is and how grateful I am to be able to experience this moment in this place.
Trekking made me feel like a true explorer… and prompted my Aunt to start calling me Dora the Explorer after seeing the photo above!
Drinking Glacier Water
At one point, our guide spotted a narrow stream trickling across the ice – fresh meltwater, straight from the glacier. She got down on the ice lying on her stomach, leaned her face into the stream and took a drink of the glacier water!!
I Drank Straight from the Glacier! No bottle. No filter. Just pure, ice-cold, ancient water – so clean and crisp it almost didn’t taste like anything at all. Just pure life. It felt almost sacred, like a connection to the Earth’s past.
That helicopter and glacier trek was more than just a bucket list checkmark, it was a reminder of the raw beauty still out there, untouched. Flying over those mountains, walking on thousands of years old ice, and drinking glacier water. That’s the kind of memory that lives in your soul.
If you ever get the chance to do it – take it! Bundle up, step aboard, and prepare to be completely humbled by the power of nature!