My wife and I had never been in a helicopter and were kind of nervous about it, but our anxiety was eased when we saw how much emphasis the TEMSCO helicopter tour company put on safety. We received a lecture and watched a video on safety before we were given glacier boots and grouped for boarding.

The helicopter ride to Mendenhall Glacier was only 15 minutes, but the views were spectacular. We landed on the glacier with about a dozen other choppers. When we stepped out of the helicopter, it was almost like we were no longer on earth. The landscape was so different from anything I have ever seen before. There were crevasses (cracks in the ice) that contained streams and waterfalls of dark blue water. Actually, the water wasn't really blue. It only appears this way because it is running over ice that is under so much pressure that only the blue wavelength of light can escape. The guides gave us some information about the glacier and instructed us not to go wandering because there is the danger that you could fall into a crevasse--some of which were over a hundred feet deep. We stayed on the glacier for about 20 minutes and took pictures. The temperature on the glacier was in the upper 30s, but it didn't feel that cold, because the sun was shining so brightly. However, I still recommend you bring a jacket, hat, and gloves. The tour company supplied everyone with glacier boots. This excursion turned out to be the highlight of our Alaskan experience.