What do you do when other exchangers invite you to hike 6 miles to a glacier? You say yes. The advice I got from pretty much everyone before I left was to say yes to everything and I definitely have followed through.
It had just snowed the day before and the roads were extremely Icey as we drove the 5 minutes to the glacier from campus housing. We got out of the car and headed to the frozen lake and held our breath as we took our first couple steps, worried our weight would break the ice. After a few moments of standing around we felt safe and continued our trek to the glacier. Everything looks much closer when its covered in a foot of snow but that was not the case. The hike took a few hours as we marched in a straight line carving our own way to the glacier. As I looked around there were others ice skating and skiing which have been a much quicker means of transportation across the lake.
At the base of the glacier we made the executive decision to continue walking closer and eventually stepping on to the glacier (sorry Marsha). It was difficult navigating because you couldn’t see underneath the snow to make sure you were stepping on the glacier and not in a random crack, but we survived. It was all fun and games until we had to turn around and walk all the way back to the car which was miles away. Exhausted and starved for food we made our way to downtown Juneau, a mere 30-minute drive, to get Russian Dumplings. I think I could eat those dumplings every day for the rest of my life they are just that addicting.
After food we got local coffee and explored downtown Juneau and all the various shops that they have. Most of the actual shops are closed and will open in May when the tourists show up but the few shops that they had were quaint and filled with Alaskan culture and trinkets. I will definitely be back to spend all my money and regret every purchase immediately after. (: Stay tuned for the polar plunge!