Last Days on the Denver Glacier

Last beautiful view of my favorite peaks.
© Sarah M. Waterman

It was getting near, very near, to the end of our year on the glacier.  1SEPT and it's the most beautiful day we had in a month!  We were pretty much socked in with fog and clouds for a month and did maybe a solid week of tours in August.  Due to the elevation at our third site, some say 4200 ft. others 4500 ft. I am not sure, but I do know...  IT'S FOGGY!!!  Friday was supposed to be our last day of tours, it gets really slow at the end of the season, and our most beautiful day-- not a single tour!  The sun was out, it was hot, barely a cloud in the sky.  Well, it was a great day for me to start packing up the kitchen and getting most of it put away for next season.  We were at half crew, plus Nate.  When the other half of the crew went down, I usually go down with them but I was on the ground for 5 glorious days, and they were glorious days; Nate forgot his clothes and such and just decided to stay up.  It was nice to have the crew that we did up there.  Thomas and Megan's friend was visiting, I think her name was Rachel not sure, really sweet.  It was a great time.  That night was amazing.  Very still and we had a nice calm evening.

Last time we actually saw the sun rise.  The wind was howling further off.  Notice the snow churning...
© Sarah M. Waterman

Absolute Beauty
© Sarah M. Waterman

© Sarah M. Waterman

The kitchen, somewhat in shambles due to packing.

"Last Supper"  HA!  L-R Thomas, Matt, Zane, Willi, "Rachel", Megan and Nate 

© Sarah M. Waterman

The Sunset, it was beautiful
© Sarah M. Waterman

The next day the rest of the crew came up and it was foggy and the weather turned on us.  We were cancelled on tours for our last day, so we broke down a bunch of camp and consolidated what we could.  I had to leave to help in Juneau on the Mendenhall Glacier and on the ground camp at Sheep Creek.  I did not have my plane ticket home yet, so I was able to be moved around and I wanted to work as long as I could.  So Pete sent me down on one of the helicopters headed down with some of the camp gear.  Just like that, I had to grab my things and go.  Not really any time to say my "so longs" to anyone.

Tourist Shot.  Leaving the glacier

Dogs after getting off the glacier.  Lovely rainy day!  This is the next day.

Damien drove Zane and I down to our second site, which was now our cat site, and there Willi met up with us on snow machine.  We hopped on the helicopter and flew on down on our last flight of the season.  Zane and I were needed on the ground for help and we were supposed to be leaving on sunday for Juneau.  Well, sunday night turned into saturday night for me.  I wasn't happy, but as the saying goes, it is what it is...  I was off to Juneau by Wings of Alaska saturday at 1830.  My time was done in Skagway and my heart, well my heart was very sad.