This is a continuation of my "Power of Love" story. I plan on sharing more as time goes on.
The Columbia Glaciers
It isn't every day a girl is gets taken on a flight over the Alaskan ice fields with lunch on the side of a glacier.
Of course, the preceding story leading up to this moment was just as profound with a write up in the newspaper on our near drowning in a particularly strong rip tide.
We would call this Alaska expedition our 'Celebration of Life' - the sky's the limit! Literally!
Two friends on a mission to inspire ourselves with Life
It was a surprise wrapped up in a very proud smile, "Now that we have experienced this adventure by boat, by train, by horse, by foot, by car...we are now going to experience it by air!"
It was certainly the grand finale, the icing on an already amazing adventure. Maybe I should have told him that he no longer needed to impress me so much, but why ruin a good thing? ;) I was impressed - Very!
"Ladies first!" he offered with his hand gesturing me into the helicopter.
I climbed in with my heart pounding and cheeks hurting from all the excitement building in my body.
Putting on my ear protection with mic, the pilot started up the engine and as those rotor blades began their rotation, I could feel the vibration and anticipation building to full capacity until swoosh! Up went the metal bird into the sky like the glass elevator from Willy Wonka!
The front of the cockpit was mostly glass so it was the most beautiful sight watching the earth descend below us and unlike an airplane, the feeling was that of being a part of the helicopter - kind of like one feels riding a motor cycle - there is a very visceral feeling as you glide through the air giving way to the wind currents.
As we flew over the Columbia Glacier, there was a sense of deep peace along with this profound realization of just how insignificant we were compared to mother nature. I was speechless, trying to absorb every single nook and cranny, every deep crevice. The blue colors within those crevices were so beautiful - to think that this water was ancient and pure was fascinating to me - what little critters and plant life were pressed between its bubbles and folds?
The ice field was massive and moving (even though it was hard to tell from the air) - Amazing! The glacier descended from an ice field of 10,000 feet leading to Prince William Sound in southeastern Alaska. It is one of the most rapidly changing glaciers in the world.
"So, where would you like to land for lunch?" the pilot asked.
We chose a spot and touched down like a light feather floating to the ground.
It was a surreal feeling stepping down onto ground. This remote, pristine earth that no human had probably walked on before. It was surprisingly green and lush...like a spongy carpet. We ate a little cheese and wine and then we took in the view of the glacier up-close and personal. I kept hearing thunder....loud thunder! It was coming from the glacier breaking off and would literally rattled your bones and chest cavity. I cannot emphasize enough how powerful this experience was!
We would fly back forever-changed - not only for the experience it gave, but the magic it left within us - this would be the moment my husband and I became engaged and the memory of flying over the glaciers would be weaved into our forever story.
A little digression to this story - never, ever, ever talk to beautiful, white, mountain goats while peeing on the side of a glacier. I thought the mountain goat was just talking to me and I was talking back but apparently this was an attack call. Just so you know ;) haha