So, the first day was
“At Sea” – along the coastline to Alaska. Even on vacation I can’t seem to
sleep in, so about 5am I decided to head up on deck – to watch the sunrise and
enjoy the view (and to not wake up my roommate). The sun was already up as I
got outside, and as started walking to the bow of the ship I was facing 80 mph
winds out on the front shipdeck – so much so that I had to hold on to the
railing tightly to keep from being blown down. I even took off my glasses and
tucked them in my pocket, afraid they’d be blown right off my face. After
struggling against the winds for a few minutes, I gave up and just headed
inside to watch the beautiful view from a nice comfy chair.
The second day was our first stop along the way, at Juneau,
Alaska. We pulled into port, with the entire day ahead to spend enjoying the
sites. I headed out on an excursion to the Mendenhall Glacier – just a short
bus ride up to the park, and then a short walk up an easy path. Everything was
paved – some had dogs, some had strollers, and even wheelchairs found it easy.
The view of the glacier is amazing! To see millions of
pounds of ice, and their slow journey down the slope is something difficult to
describe. And the deeper parts of the glacier have a beautiful blue color to
them.
I was fortunate to be there as a Park Ranger came to check
on things, and she was kind enough to point out the history and the future of
this glacier. She hopped the fence and brought up a small piece of 1,000,000
year old ice for us to see and touch – a small part of the glacier that had
broken off earlier that morning. A bowling-ball size chunk of crystal clear
ice. There were other, much larger chunks floating in the water – some the size
of a small car, others the size of a small house.
The formation of glaciers, especially in the vastness of the
wilderness of Alaska, is especially humbling. There is such a connection that
comes from being out in nature like this, and for me, it’s an amazing testimony
of the truthfulness of God and His love for His children. I stood there for a
while, walking along the shoreline, and drinking up every moment. Gazing at the
spectacular beauty and pondering the wonders of God.
Across from the
primary viewpoint of the Mendenhall Glacier is a spectacular waterfall, so I
headed over there. You can get pretty close to the waterfall, so the sound of
the rushing water completely overtakes you and the air is heavy with all of the
spray from the crashing of the water. Thousands of gallons per hour of water –
all melting away from the glacier. The
immense power of all that rushing water is humbling. And seeing how much of
this icy glacier there was to begin with, and how much and how fast it is
melting – well, I think I finally understand the depths of global warming and
the affect it is having on our world, and especially on fragile ecosystems like
Alaska.
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