As we climb a ridge we catch our first glimpse of the spectacular Juneau Ice Fields. We have been gifted with a blue ribbon day and stretching all the way to the horizon is a sea of white. It looks soft but our pilot explains that hidden crevasses descend fathoms below into the ice.
Massive, jagged peaks puncture the surface of ice and snow like shark fins. Too high to have been smoothed over by glacial action, they rise majestically skyward in defiance of one of nature’s most powerful forces.
Alaska’s vastness can make one feel small and insignificant but it certainly beats a grid-lock traffic jam on Joburg’s William Nicol highway.
I think I have one of the most fortunate jobs around. I work in the Shore Excursion Department aboard a cruise ship in Alaska.
The major perk of the job is that I get first hand experience of the excursions offered to the guests so that I’m able to advise them about which of the multitude to choose from. My job is to provide guidance to the intrepid modern day ‘explorer’ venturing into the glaciated landscape of South East Alaska.
Perhaps ‘explorer’ is used a little too loosely here; they are travelling in floating hotels complete with Casinos, spas, nightly Vegas style shows and an army of smiling staff to cater to nearly every need.
‘Lois and Clark’
That said, it still takes a certain “Lois and Clark” spirit to harness yourself up and scale a 8m wall of ice or fly through the tree tops of North America’s largest intact temperate rainforest held up by nothing more than a cable.
The cruise ship industry is Alaska’s bread and butter. There are other industries such as logging and fishing but for the five summer months, thousands of people depend on tourists for their livelihood throughout the year.
As a result the products and services they supply are excellent.
Alaska is a destination vacation; the cruise ship guests want to experience the real thing. They are generally older and are less likely to be found in the casino and disco until the early hours of the morning. That is the Caribbean’s domain.
Alaska is the realm of shore excursions. Hundreds of choices range from lumberjack shows and snorkelling to dog sledding via helicopter. You had better bring your credit card though as the tours don’t run cheaply with helicopters and floatplanes in the equation.
Glaciers are a major drawcard and there are many exciting ways of getting up close and personal with one of nature’s most impressive forces. Helicopters whisk you off to walk on one of the many snaking rivers of ice, with the cr�me de la cr�me being a three-hour trek, equipped with harnesses, crampons and ice axes for some guided ice climbing.
You really feel as though you are in another world.
‘Best of Skagway’
For those less inclined to dole out $500 (about R3 400) to get in a helicopter, there are numerous bus tours out to Juneau’s Mendenhall Glacier - one of only three glaciers one can drive to in the world. The visitor’s centre has wonderful displays of the glacial life cycle and models of the Juneau Ice fields. Park rangers are on hand to answer any questions.
Alaska offers some unique experiences. Take Taku Lodge. You board a De Havilland Beaver - the staple Alaskan float plane - for a spectacular 30-minute flight to the remote lodge, passing over numerous glaciers. Their deep blue colours inspire the constant clicking of cameras. As we come into land our pilot points out a family of moose peacefully grazing in the Taku River’s grasslands.
A guide meets us for a tour and explains the amazing history of Mary Joyce who undertook an epic dog sled ride up North.
We can’t complete the full tour due to the resident black bears having taken up viewing positions in a nearby tree. Three staff members stand guard with long sticks.
I am not overly comforted�
In the main log cabin with roaring log fire, fur skins and sleds, we are fed Alaskan salmon with beans, and homemade biscuits.
Someone points out that the tree-bound bears have found the BBQ pit and are now gorging themselves on the left-over salmon, oblivious to the camera flashes.
The most popular option during the seven-day cruise takes place when we dock in Skagway. This tiny gold rush era town is home to the White Pass and Yukon Railway which snakes up the infamous White Pass, tracing the steps of the intrepid prospectors.
It’s easy to see why this narrow gauge railway garners the title of the World’s Scenic Railway as we pass waterfalls, trellis bridges and bore our way through numerous tunnels en route to the awe inspiring Yukon Territory.
Here again we are spoilt for choice with a smorgasbord of options. The most comprehensive is aptly titled the “Best of Skagway”, which includes the train, gold panning and a show at a period gold miner’s camp, a salmon feast and a tour of the infamous Red Onion Brothel and Saloon.
I have barely scratched the surface regarding all that an explorer could do in seven days.
I haven’t mentioned the whale watching and wildlife tours where you are guaranteed to see these behemoths of the deep. There is the stunning Russian American port of Sitka where Alaska was foolishly sold to the Yankees. There is Creek Street and Dolly’s house in bustling Ketchikan.
One really has to visit more than once to see everything on offer, or seek employment on one of the many cruise ships that call this region home for the summer months.
Guests often ask me which is the best tour and my answer is always the same: All our tours are the best tour sir; it really just depends on which of the best ones appeals to your spirit of adventure the most.’
Email www.trafalgar.com for more information on cruises or telephone 011 280 8400.
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