Mendenhall Ice Caves
There has been an adventure in the Juneau, Alaska area that has been on my to-do list ever since I saw pictures of it a year ago. In the pictures I saw a person standing in a cave created out of blue ice, somewhere on the western edge of Mendenhall Glacier. I visited the glacier last year with the tourist bus but saw no way to get to the western side. The glacier has receeded in recent times, about 1.75 miles since 1958, creating a huge lake which meant I would have to look more into finding these caves for next time. That next time was today! I asked around with some friends in Juneau about the ice caves and got some good tips. Start at the parking lot for the western glacier trailhead. Follow this for a ways, over a bridge, up switchbacks with hand rails, then at an overlook take the smaller trail towards the lake. A short ways in there is a sign warning against backcountry hiking and the need in the past for a lot of search and rescues in the area. ...