Juneau, Alaska
“I hear the drizzle of the rain, like a memory it falls, soft and warm continuing, tapping on my roof and walls.” --Simon & Garfunkel
We have traveled to our northernmost point on this expedition. In the early morning light we ran up Chatham Strait, rounded Point Retreat, and eased down the Lynn Canal past Douglas Island to Doty Bay and then up the Gastineau Channel tying to the dock in Juneau. It was a morning of cruising and taking in the breathtaking scenery, all while watching for wildlife.
All morning misty clouds gave the mountains a magical depth of field. A bald eagle soared over Stephens Passage as we watched sub-surface feeding humpback whales. Tens of scoters huddled along the protected coastline as dark luminous clouds built atop the evergreen treetops at the tip of Glass Peninsula.
And then the rain came dancing on our decks of National Geographic Sea Bird. A light misty rain at first, turning to wet droplets by the time we reached Mendenhall at the base of the Juneau Icefield. Eighteen known black bears fish the salmon streams that run-off this glacier. The U.S. Forest Service manages this area where we visited the interpretive center and walked the trails “on a bear hunt.” One bear was digging roots and feeding along the trail, a red squirrel was gathering cones to stock the winter pantry under a tree. The waterfall roared and ice bergs floated at the face of the blue icy edge.
Wandering in Juneau, the most isolated state capital in the United States and accessible only by air or water, is filled with mining history. Today the noisy stamp mill at the Treadwell Mine is quiet, but Front and Franklin Streets bustle with visitors, now the number two industry. Rain and raincoats were the fashion of the day.
Raindrops soften our view. We tend to look more closely as we wander and the droplets illuminate shiny colors we might have otherwise missed. Traveling south through low clouds heavy with moisture and pastel colors toward Le Conte Glacier the most southern glacier in North America, we are officially southbound.
