If you want to be reminded how insignificant we really are in nature, take a helicopter ride over miles and miles of desolated mountains and land on an expansive glacier. Before boarding the helicopter, each person was weighed and had to don special glacier booties over our boots. The pilot determines who will sit where based on balancing out the weight. Wearing headphones and mikes, we could converse with one another without being overpowered by the noise of the helicopter.
Soon after lifting off, we saw three moose below. Our pilot pointed out dall sheep on the side of the mountain. He took the helicopter up a steep side of a mountain (short video) and came alarmingly close to the top of the mountain. At the last-minute he pulled us up and over the mountaintop for a dizzying view of the valley below. We flew over forest, over mountains, over rivers and over glaciers. We startled three dall sheep who ran across the top of a mountain ridge. Then we flew over the spectacular white and blue rugged terrain of the glacier. (short video)
We landed on the glacier and walked around on it. It was very blue in some places, and covered with gravel in others. A cold stream ran through the glacier and plummeted down a big hole called a mulan. (short video) As our helicopter pilot stood at the edge, it occurred to us that if he slipped and fell down that mulan, we would have no way to get off that glacier! This was an awesome experience to be in such a remote and desolate yet beautiful place.
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