Day 12: Juneau What I Know?

It was a lovely day in Juneau for whale watching, with an adequate amount of "cloud failure", as our tour guide called it. We boarded a small, private boat to catch a few rare glimpses of the elusive fluke of the humpback whale. This was surely a test of our patience, but it proved that good things come to those who wait. First, we would spot the spout of water from the whale's exhale, then if we were lucky, next we would see the humpback and dorsal fin of the whale, finally followed by the fluke with its unique markings. We learned that this was their feeding ritual, as they dive deep with mouths agape to swallow thousands of gallons of water to trap the plankton for their food. It was fascinating and I could've watched them for hours. Alas, we still had a glacier to see!

After a ten minute bus ride, we arrived at a state park for a short hike thru the rainforest to Mendenhall Glacier. Our tour guide explained how the forest came to be, using an acronym M.A.S.H. No, that didn't stand for what kind of house you will live in, when you marry ;), it stood for Moss, Alder, Spruce, and Hemlock, which represent the type of vegetation and foliage that are present during different stages of the rainforest lifecycle. If you want to learn more, I highly recommend Gastineau Guiding for a tour. They are extremely knowledgeable!

Our hike ended with this view as a beautiful surprise. I marveled at how the glacier, forest, and sea were all connected. Oh, I have only just begun to experience all the wonders of the world!