Alaskan Wildlife

To give everyone a little idea of what I mean when I go bear viewing, I put this picture on. There is a really nice boardwalk, above ground where one can go to watch the bears when they are in the area. There are tons of Coho Salmon in the creek right now so it is prime bear and eagle watching. Anyway, this picture was a few weeks ago I went to see the bears and they were walking around right under the boardwalk. We all crept silently after them in hopes of "the perfect picture". I was a little concerned for the guy at the far end of the picture. I'm not sure I would have stood there. :) But the momma bear didn't seem too concerned.



The third viewing for me of this bear family was great! The bears actually came close enough to the boardwalk or viewing platforms so we could see them. This is a cute little cub. Looks hugable huh?



Two days ago, no bears in view, but I did find this little porcupine to watch for a few minutes. He didn't seem concerned that I was close and was just having some dinner.



Last, but not least, went whale watching yesterday. I had a patient tell me about a section of the road about 30 miles from Juneau where whales are continuing to hang out and eat their hearts out. And going out that far paid off because a whole pod was surfacing every 10-15 minutes for air. No fantastic jumps, but some alright tail shots. Graceful animals. Even from the distance we were viewing them, they are truly magnificant.

Thunder Mountain

Finally a beautiful day that I could actually enjoy!! The sun was shining today and I wasn't at work. The last three weeks we've had at least two days of sun per week and I've worked all of them. So, I called my friend Rachel to climb a mountain that I've wanted to do ever since I've got here.
It was so awesome at the top. After climbing 2700 feet up in 3 miles, I was very satisfied with the view.



This is a cool bird. It totally blends in with the ground. I admit I don't know what kind of bird it is, there were about 5 or 6 hanging out on top of the mountain with us.



This hike is a good one because there is an awesome view of Mendenhall Glacier and lake with the icefields behind. It was so cool. I can't even describe the views from the top.



Then to finish this wonderful day we went to the information center at the glacier to look for bears on this walkway they have specifically designed for bear viewing.
And as you can see in these pictures we got to see some. Two babies were up in the tree because there was another strange bear in the area. Then the mother bear charges and starts chasing this strange bear away.
Let me tell you, I'm amazed at the speed of bears. WOW. They can run! Anyway after the mother bear chased the other one away she came back and calmly got a drink of water right under the boardwalk we were on. Awesome!



I'll definitely be back to watch the bears some more!

The Hike to Mendenhall Glacier

Last week, some new friends Rachel and Erin and I decided to hike to Mendenhall Glacier. It is only a few miles and climbing over some steep rocks to get right up next to the glacier. It was pretty amazing! It was a new experience to be this close to a glacier.



Here I am in a glacier cave. I admit to being a little nervous going under ice the size of a large building and stretching up the mountain side as far as the eye could see. But, with the encouragement of Rachel I did and am very glad for it. Just check out the beatiful color!



A small river was rushing under the glacier and probably formed this cave which I was standing under when I took this picture. Pretty awesome!



Here are my two great hiking buddies, Erin and Rachel heading back to the car. I have to go visit the glacier again soon because some big pieces broke off and are floating on the lake. Hopefully then I'll post more pictures of it.