“It’s going to be a kind of rough for a few minutes, so hang on. The wind is brisk but no worries, this machine is built to handle it.” And off we went, rocking up, up and away as the runway quickly gave way to one of Alaska’s most beautiful, glacier carved fjords, Resurrection Bay. Soon we would be soaring over magnificent mountains and hovering above Bear Glacier with John as the co-pilot and a white knuckled me in the back seat. What an amazing trip we were on.
In the months leading up to Alaska, I had searched for a lot of things, Prudhoe Bay, Bore Tides, coastal towns, fresh seafood, Denali tours, but never once did I type in the word “helicopter”, I never even considered it. After all, I have an irrational fear of flying and helicopters seem so, well frail. But here we were, on a busy Friday, pre-Labour Day weekend, climbing aboard our 4th choice of helicopter companies (the 1st 3 choices were already booked), while trying to absorb the instructions: “don’t step on the runner and don’t pull on the door, the helicopter isn’t built for these stresses.” What stresses is it built for? What were we thinking?
The conversation about the possibility of a helicopter tour began shortly after breakfast on Friday when John first floated the idea. We were sipping cups of hot chai attempting to drown our disappointment after waving goodby to our friends who were headed out on a boat tour of Resurrection Bay and Kenai Fjords National Park. We had declined to take the much-anticipated tour because we could not find an available dog sitter and leaving Katie confined in the van for 6-hours did not feel good to us.
We knew, when we decided to bring Katie on this trip to Alaska, that we would face this issue on occasion. While dogs are welcome in many places in Alaska, there are some limits. We had been lucky on the trip to Prudhoe Bay, and a really wonderful Macy took Katie into her home in Fairbanks while we traveled north. Early contact with several sitters in Seward looked promising but when we arrived in Seward and pursued them in detail, they did not pan out.
As we got closer to the mountain walls, and we got really close, the turbulence increased. All too quickly, we crested the top we saw a herd of snowy, white Dall sheep grazing on the steep mountain walls on the “back” side. Magnificent!
So, on the day of the scheduled boat tour, I admit so some sadness, even a little resentment and grumbling about bringing Katie on the trip. All of my thoughts and words were unfair to a cute little puppy who is happy to spend every day with us, but there they were, spoken out loud. Meanwhile John was busy on-line like looking at other options for the day to make his wife happy. Unfortunately, he discovered that, aside from boat tours and kayaking tours, Seward did not offer a day’s worth of activity that would interest us.
Then the word “helicopter” was floated. My heart jumped a bit but once the idea circulated through my brain, I realized, that if I didn’t think too hard, maybe I could jump in the helicopter without fear forcing me back out. So, I told John okay, let’s do it and phone calls to helicopter tour companies ensued.
First, he called the company with the most reviews (positive, of course), then the next and the next. I was feeling a sense of disappointment mixed with relief. All flight slots for the day were booked. Finally, we called our last option, Seward Helicopter Tours on 2210 Airport Way and yes, they had a slot open after lunch. We’ll take it, 1:00 pm! Before we knew it, it was time to board.
The flight time was only 30 minutes, but I admit to a few moments of sheer panic, moments where I was white knuckled and clutching John’s seat in front, especially during the bouts of turbulence. At one point, as we headed into the Bay, I had to put my hand over my mouth to stop myself from asking the pilot to turn around. Sitting in the front window, calm and in awe, was John!
As the flight progressed, we dropped down near the surface of Bear Glacier and soared along the ice. We were close enough that I could almost touch the ice but high enough so that a gust of wind would not push us down. To absorb the sight of 21 miles of ice with striations of gravel and rock, was almost incomprehensible. To understand that the rate of retreat has nearly doubled in the last 15 years over the prior half century is heartbreaking.
The monument in the bottom left elbow marks the historic start, Mile 0, of the Iditarod Trail from Seward to Nome. The trail was originally developed to transport mail and supplies.
The cruise ship you see in port developed an electrical issue and was parked in port for several days. The cruise was cut short, and passengers transported to Anchorage to get flights home. We met a lot of unhappy people in town.
While I was glad for my feet to hit solid ground, I was also so glad we took the opportunity to have this unique and incredible experience. I would like to think I would do again. Soaring in the air in a machine that is so nimble, as to be able to easily turn and twist with the wind, was spectacular. To fly so close to the top of a glacier and along the glacier wall, to see Dall sheep from above and to dip in and out of the mountains of Kenai Fjords National Park, is an experience we would never have had on a boat.
As far as our choice of helicopter tour and pilot, well, we were lucky that we had persisted in phone calls. Our pilot, who had been flying Seward tourists for 10 years, was a knowledgeable and interesting guide. Clearly, he still enjoyed the opportunity to get up each day and take people out in his flying machine. Seward Helicopter Tours, 2210 Airport Road, receives a 5-star recommendation from us!
The next Alaskan Journal update is intended to be about the three coastal villages we visited, one of my favorite parts of the trip. Of course, this post was supposed to be about the villages too, but the writing is going slow. Meanwhile, we are filling our time with hiking, walking, eating and enjoying the fall weather in our beautiful East Tennessee.
Beverly
