On the day we're going to hike on a glacier, eleven hikers and the guide board the helicopter together. There are a few things I may not have already mentioned about helicopters.
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| This souvenir helicopter model was nice and quiet and didn't take us anywhere, but my friend Janet was fortunate to have gone heli-hiking when she could get this really cool souvenir. |
Before boarding and immediately on exiting, the safe thing to do is the heli-huddle that I've described in previous posts. The huddle can help prevent decapitation, and also is an excellent way to be sure that your belongings don't get blown into another time zone. One day I forget to clutch the camera hanging around my neck and it blows to the side nearly strangling me.
Heli-Huddle revisited
For safety, we enter and exit from a single door on the pilot side (so he can see us) even though there are doors on each side. On the ground, we huddle until the helicopter is gone... really gone, not just starting to go.
our pilot, Jens
our guide, Jim
Behind the guide and pilot are two long rows of seats facing each other in the main cabin. One row can see where we're going. The other row sees the faces of people watching where we're going. We count on happy expressions for reassurance.
Behind the guide and pilot are two long rows of seats facing each other in the main cabin. One row can see where we're going. The other row sees the faces of people watching where we're going. We count on happy expressions for reassurance.
Jump seat passengers have a great view; they also have a separate entrance. And it seems the jump-seat door has to be opened from the outside to allow egress. Or maybe you just have to know how to open it....?
So a quick review: jump-seat occupants have the ideal perspective of these amazing mountains, and are isolated in a noisy helicopter where no one can hear them or see them.
On the day we head for the glacier, the helicopter is full to capacity, with two people in the jump seat. We arrive, slip out, and huddle. The helicopter leaves. We stand up, guide Jim counts nine brave souls on a windswept glacier. Jim looks a little puzzled, since there should be eleven of us.... and as he mentions that we've lost a few people, we see the helicopter circling back.
On the day we head for the glacier, the helicopter is full to capacity, with two people in the jump seat. We arrive, slip out, and huddle. The helicopter leaves. We stand up, guide Jim counts nine brave souls on a windswept glacier. Jim looks a little puzzled, since there should be eleven of us.... and as he mentions that we've lost a few people, we see the helicopter circling back.
helicopter returning
He opens the jump seat door and two would-be hikers leap to the ground, shouting over the propeller din "We wondered what we did wrong....?" Fortunately, they're laughing
Later that day, Jens, the pilot said "I thought the helicopter was a little heavy on one side...."
(Just for the record, that was the only time there was any confusion. We were on and off that helicopter about twenty-five times in a week, and we watched Jens land on a dime as if it were a football field. By the end of the week, it was simply another way to get from here to there.)
(Just for the record, that was the only time there was any confusion. We were on and off that helicopter about twenty-five times in a week, and we watched Jens land on a dime as if it were a football field. By the end of the week, it was simply another way to get from here to there.)
Now for that glacier. We hike Canoe Glacier (see below).
The weight of the ice that forms over thousands of years creates pressure that makes the bottom, on the rock surface, grind downward on the mountain. The ice picks up rocks and debris so it's got a rough surface as you can see. And it doesn't move in one mass. The bottom part of the glacier often moves more slowly than the top. The ground it's traversing is not even. That leads to cracks that can become crevasses. The one in the photo below is deep enough --at least 25 feet-- for me to keep my cowardly distance when I photograph it.
The weight of the ice that forms over thousands of years creates pressure that makes the bottom, on the rock surface, grind downward on the mountain. The ice picks up rocks and debris so it's got a rough surface as you can see. And it doesn't move in one mass. The bottom part of the glacier often moves more slowly than the top. The ground it's traversing is not even. That leads to cracks that can become crevasses. The one in the photo below is deep enough --at least 25 feet-- for me to keep my cowardly distance when I photograph it.
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| Canoe Glacier Crevasse |
One of the other things you can see in the photo above is the unique glacial blue (near the lower left corner and a few other spots. The weight of the ice forces air out, making the ice denser than you would see elsewhere. Glacial ice absorbs red and reflects that beautiful glacial blue.
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Next: more glaciers and the amazing persistence of life.
A reminder-- the helihiking trips I took were with Canadian Mountain Holidays ( http://www.canadianmountainholidays.com). I write my blog posts based on notes taken during the trip, and this trip was some years ago. Things may have changed but CMH still offers these amazing experiences.
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