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GLACIER DOG |
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 Sonya rides high in the sky in a helicopter. © 2006 Ravay Snow |
Holding her head down, Sonya scampered under the blades and into the helicopter. The pilot's assistant, Jim, put a headset over her ears.
"That's the only way we can hear each other talk while we're flying," Jim said. "Otherwise it's too noisy. When you want to say something, talk right into the microphone on your headset."
"Here we go!" The helicopter lifted off the ground.
"First we'll go to the Alsek Glacier," the pilot explained. "Then I'll drop you and Jim off on a mountaintop for a short hike."
They flew over a forested valley. Steep mountains towered on each side. Alpine lakes shimmered below.
 Forests, lakes and snowcapped peaks beautify the landscape. © David Muenker |
"Is that an animal on the lakeshore?" Sonya yipped into the microphone.
"That's a moose," the pilot answered. "It looks like a small critter from here, but most of them are seven feet tall and they can weigh 1,600 pounds. That's more than eight times heavier than an average man."
"Wow, that's big!" Sonya woofed.
"I don't see any roads or houses. How do you find your way through all these mountains?"
"I follow the rivers. They're like roads on a map. That's the Alsek River down below us. It'll take us right to the glacier."
The river got as big as a lake. They had reached the toe of the Alsek Glacier. The ice was striped with gray and white swirls.
 The Alsek Glacier has distinctive stripes of color. © David Muenker |
"Every time I see this glacier, I get hungry for marble fudge swirl ice cream," Jim commented.
"Yum! It does look like ice cream," Sonya agreed. "Are those big rocks in the water? They look like they're made of shiny white marble, like the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, DC."
"Those are icebergs. They're enormous chunks of ice that have broken off the glacier."
"The end of the glacier looks blue!" Sonya woofed. "It's awesome!"
"Yup, glaciers are incredible," the pilot added. "And we're only seeing the eastern tip of this icefield. The glaciers stretch way to the west into Alaska."
"We need to move on so take your final look."
"Bye-bye beautiful glacier." Sonya waved and kept her eyes on the ice as long as she could.
 Chunks of ice fall off the glacier and form icebergs. © David Muenker |
They flew close to steep rocky slopes. The pilot pointed out Dall sheep. They were as white as snow and had large horns that curled back.
"How do they do that!" Sonya watched them with amazement. The sheep leaped from one small rocky ledge to another, never missing a step.
The pilot lowered the helicopter onto a mountaintop covered with tiny flowers and grasses. They were above timberline, where trees can't grow.
"We'll hike here," Jim explained. "Remember to keep your head low and move away from the helicopter quickly."
As soon as Sonya and Jim were a safe distance away, the pilot flew off.
Sonya looked all around her. "Wow, I'm on top of the world!" Jim pulled binoculars out of his backpack and began looking through them.
"I'm surveying the area," Jim explained. "Before we start hiking, I want to make sure there aren't any bears around. We don't want to trespass on their territory."
"I know what you're talking about. I ran into a bear on my hike the other day. Lucky for me it was cub, and I was able to run faster that it did!"
"Yup, you were lucky!" Jim scanned the scene a few minutes longer. "It looks safe. Let's head over to that ridge."
Everywhere they looked, they saw beautiful views of jagged peaks, grassy mountain meadows and bright blue alpine lakes. The air was pure.
"I could stay here forever!" Sonya exclaimed as she dashed from one boulder to another.
The hum of a distant helicopter got closer and closer.
"That's ours. We better get back to where the pilot dropped us off," Jim advised. Reluctantly, Sonya followed him.
"Today has been super!" Sonya shouted into the microphone when they lifted off. "I've seen this World Heritage Site by land, by water and by air! Now I can go home really happy!"
Note: This story is fiction based on fact.
Go to Sonya's Picks for links to websites about the sights and wildlife of this World Heritage Site.
Test your understanding of words used in this story with the Word Match game.
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Photographs ©2005-2010 David Muenker. Text ©2005-2010 Rose Muenker. Illustrations ©2005-2010 Ravay Snow Any use without express written permission is illegal and punishable by law. All rights reserved. Site designed and developed by Josh Bergman. |
