Mendenhall Glacier | Lost & Found EP.03
Happy New Year everyone! We’re so excited to see you back here and hope that you had a wonderful holiday! Let’s get into episode three of Lost & Found!
First view of Mendenhall Glacier
The hike was challenging under the weight of our packs because we were carrying a full day of food, clothes and ice climbing gear. It also was a surprisingly warm making the trail through the rainforest hot and steamy.
The start of the hike at the parking lot is also where the glacier ended in 1901
A peak at the toa of the glacier
Us picking our approach
As we got closer to the glacier we realized that it wasn’t guaranteed that we’d find a place to to cross onto the ice. Glaciers naturally melt the fastest at the edges especially when those edges are up against the rocks.
Thankfully we found a space place to transfer from the hill to the ice. With glacier boots, climbing harnesses, and crampons on we set off across the glacier in search of anything that caught out eye!
Jacques, Catherine and MAK venturing deeper into Mendenhall Glacier
MAK obsessing over how blue the water is on the glacier
Owen and I have never been on a glacier before. It was fascinating to see such a unique and different landscape up close and personal. We were completely in awe of everything and kept walking around exclaiming “WOW”. Slowly, this new place started to feel vaguely familiar.
One of many glacial ponds we found on Mendenhall
The canyons, fins of ice, and the way the water shapes the surface looked striking of the sandstone in the American Southwest that we love so much. After that realization we felt right at home in this land of ice.
MAK investigating a glacial pond
Owen leaping over a stream
Even though we didn’t come here with any real objective other than to explore we did want to try our hand at some ice climbing. As climbers ourselves it was a great opportunity to try a new type of climbing under the expert guidance of Jacques!
Jacques flanking the rope before a climb
Jacques and Catherine
We love these two
Our first climbing spot was into a crevasse! It was impressive how little of the ice axe has to be in the ice to hold your weight. So little that it took a long time to trust the axe. Once we finished climbing in the crevasse we moved on and found a wall that had an impressive waterfall feature to climb.
Our lil crew. Naturally we had to take a group photo together before leaving the ice
Jacques and Catherine
A rare photo of Owen and I existing together in the same frame!
In total we hiked for 12 hours, covered over twelve miles, and climbed nearly three thousand feet of elevation. It was a magical day and completely cemented our love for Mendenhall and glaciers. We are so thankful for Jaques and Catherine for reaching out with such a generous offer to take us out for the day. So, Jacques and Catherine if you read this, you two are what is good about this world. We can’t wait to repay the favor and show you around the desert some day!
Walking around a collapsed tunnel in the ice forcing the water up to turn it into a pond
While out on Mendenhall, Jacques mentioned that an ice cave had opened up at the toe of the glacier. The following day we hiked our soar bodies back out to the glacier under very different weather conditions.
MAK heading out to the ice cave
While on the glacier the day before, Jacques dispensed some information to us about the health (or lack there of) of the world glaciers. The gravity of the information was weighing heavily on us as we walked past the markers from where the glacier used to be over the years. It was hard to hold back tears as we looked off at the glacier in the distance at the years we graduated from college.
When we finally made it out to the cave we were awe stuck. Being able to enter an ice cave gave us an intimate glimpse into the glacier. It was an experience that was tangled up in the emotions of knowing how fragile these beautiful and necessary glaciers are.
MAK on the edge of the ice cave
Ice caves like this one are a part of the glacier’s irrigation system and we felt lucky to see it for the brief time that it will likely exist.
MAK taking in the cave
Owen looking over the details of the wall
Sadly, our week in Juneau had come to an end. Neither one of us expected to fall so deeply in love. As we drove to the Auke Bay Ferry Terminal we couldn’t help but be sad to leave this area behind.
Sunset on the ferry to Haines
Smoked Salmon Spread from Jerry’s in Juneau
Our dinner for the night
On the ferry we settled in for the night to a dinner of Smoked Salmon dip from Jerry’s Meats and Seafoods that came highly from Jacques and Catherine. And we conquer! If you are in Juneau, don’t leave without trying it!
That wraps up episode 3! See you next week for episode 4.
Thank you to our sponsors
These brands made it possible for us to document our travels through Alaska and turn it into this series. Without their support none of this could happen. We are forever grateful to have brands we already use and love on our side to help us create something we’re proud of!
Our work life is powered by Battle Born. They make the best lithium batteries on the market and are a crucial part of our power system that enables us to work from the road! It took an incredible amount of power to create this series, and we have Battle Born to thank for making it possible.
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Maps are your best friend when you’re on the road. On X makes it easy to find open routes and trails no matter where we are. On X allows us to access saved maps offline so we can locate ourselves in the wild when there’s no service.
Main Line Overland is the shop that built our rig, Roxanne. They are incredibly knowledgable on everything overlanding. We chose to work with them because they build thoughtful, reliable and durable vehicles that can get you anywhere you want to be!
Tires can be some of the best insurance when you are out in remote places. We love and trust our Toyo ATIII’s to get us in and out safely, no matter the terrain. They’re amazing in mud, moon dust, loose rocks, slick rock, you name it!
We’ve trusted our Jetboil cooking systems for years. Our favorite, the Flash Cooking system is lightweight, compact and perfect for any trip!
