We just got back from an awesome vacation we took this past week. Now, Alaska is nothing new to us since we were stationed there from 2014 to 2018. As cold as this state may be most of the year, it definitely is a sight to behold, especially for all you outdoorsy, nature-lovers out there. There is definitely so much to do, from: hiking, fishing, camping, paddle-boarding, cruising, sight-seeing, white water rafting, taking an ATV off the beaten path, panning for gold, and the list can go on…especially when there is snow on the ground. With that being said… there is so much to do around here for all seasons, that you couldn’t possibly get bored. And although my family and I had lived in the Anchorage area for four years, with as cold as it was most of the year… we didn’t exactly take advantage of what this great state had to offer us since our daughters were a little too young. Now let me reiterate this statement that I just mentioned… Alaska has so many outdoor and recreational activities that are kid-friendly, and it wasn’t that we couldn’t enjoy these amenities…it’s just that we didn’t. You see…Shane and I both grew up in hot climate locations, and I wasn’t exactly an outdoorsy person, so we were quite a bit inexperienced when it came to the snow, ice and certain outdoor activities, especially if they pertained to them. Haha! So it only made sense for us to wait until our kids were a little older to enjoy Alaska’s beautiful scenery together, and that’s exactly what we did during our trip this go-around.
But before I mention about one of our family outings in another blog post that is in the works… this post is going to be about this mom and dad’s adventure on the Alaskan waters. Huge thanks to my best friend, Diana, for watching the girls while we got to enjoy this once in a lifetime opportunity, cruising for glaciers by…wait for it…by JET-SKI!! What?!? That’s crazy awesome, right? Let me tell you…I couldn’t believe it myself! I’ve been wanting to take a glacier tour since I’ve lived here once upon a time, and this is what I stumbled upon. Yes, it started out as me looking for a tour for my entire family to cruise for glaciers and look out for wildlife and marine mammals, but you know how long it’s been since Shane and I had done something like this together? Let’s just say we’ve gotten accustomed to playing things safe, and it mainly involved having our little ones with us. Haha! So no, I definitely do not regret being selfish for once when it came to us. What can I say? We’ve gotta keep the spark alive! 😉 (Side-note: The kids had fun anyways and were spoiled by their Aunt Di-Di.) So let me take you to the place that caught my eye and was worth every penny…Glacier Jetski Adventures!
Glacier Jetski Adventures is a small tour company that is located in Whittier, Alaska. Now don’t let the size of their facility fool you, because most of their time is spent on the water and their machines are insanely fun! Not to mention…they are a family-owned business which makes your visit that much more personable. Okay, I keep getting side-tracked… if you are staying in Anchorage, then it’s about an hour drive south; and if you are staying in Seward, then it’s about an hour and half drive north. In order to get to Whittier, you’d be driving in the same direction as you would to get to Portage Glacier, however, instead of taking a right at the Y, you’d be taking a left and heading toward the one way tunnel. Now, it did cost a $13 toll for us to get in line to access the one-way tunnel, but that is the only toll we paid to get through. And as an FYI…if you ever need to go to Whittier to hop on a cruise, or even take an amazing ride on a jet ski to see glaciers…you need to time it right. The one way tunnel runs one direction into Whittier on the half hour, and from Whittier on the hour. So the earlier you get there, the better. Most people just park their car in line, get out to stretch their legs, take photos and admire the beauty around them on that side of the tunnel. In my case… I’m all about the photos, baby! It’s capturing the moments for this gal right here! However, if you are a photo junkie like me…then set your alarms, because once the hour or half hour mark hits…you better be ready to roll!
Once you get through the tunnel, it isn’t hard at all to find the Glacier Jetski Adventures shack. They were easily identifiable, since their jet skis are right out front getting fueled and ready to hit the waters. As soon as Charlie (one of our guides) saw us, he greeted us right away with a smiling face, and then Dannie (our lead guide for this tour) came by shortly thereafter. Our first impression was definitely a positive one, and we felt welcomed instantly. We went ahead and filled out our waiver while we were waiting for the other four riders to show up. They keep the tour size at six people per tour to ensure the safety and enjoyment of all members is present. As soon as all six riders…or ‘tourists’ had arrived, they laid out our dry suits, boots, gloves, radios, life vests and helmets for the tour. They explained on a map where we were going, went over how to put the gear on, assisted us and then went over some safety measures. We loaded the van up and drove down to the dock (which was like a quick two minutes) where we would get a basic tutorial on how to operate the jet skis, as well as an additional safety briefing to explain the dos and don’ts during our tour. Once Charlie finished going over the rules and answered any questions we may have had, Dannie assisted us in getting our remaining gear on and then we hopped on to the ski.
I led out first, which was pretty nerve-wrecking and cool at the same time. It’s been a while since I’ve been on a jet ski, so it was kind of like riding a bike when it came to me feeling comfortable on this machine. I only had to go out about 20 yards as the other five riders slowly jumped on their jet skis and pulled out slowly from shore. We did do the tour ‘follow the leader’ style, with Dannie leading the front and Charlie tailing behind. The radios ensured that we could hear their instructions when it came to keeping a good distance from the jet ski in front of us, but also to tell us to rev it up a bit if we started to trail too far behind. “Follow the white foam trail” is what we heard and had to keep in mind, so if the foam started to disappear, you were too far back. Haha! That’s happened a few times, but even just slowing down a bit allowed us to really take in the beauty of the scenery that surrounded us. The other good thing about the radios, is it allowed the guides to tell us about the glaciers we saw, and to let us know if we needed to stop for a break or to move out of the way from other boats or such. And check this out…during our stops, Dannie and Charlie both snapped awesome photos of us so that we didn’t have to finagle with our own cameras. But then again…do you know who I am? Haha! Of course, I’m still the one ready to sacrifice my phone for additional shots. Thank goodness I had a good grip on it! Can you imagine if it fell and sank to the bottom like the Heart of the Ocean? Thank goodness for the Cloud! Haha…sorry, side-tracked again!
When you think of jet skiing in Alaska, you’d wonder how you’d be able to bear such an activity with the waters being so freezing cold. Well, they definitely thought about it, my friends. Not only did the equipment help keep us dry and warm (of course with extra layers under as instructed per their email), but check this out…their 2021 Sea Doo watercrafts had heaters on the handle bars. WHATTT?!? This actually exists? Haha! Yes, these jet ski integrated hand warmers were a nice touch to the experience. When I had cold water splashing on my face as the fresh, yet cold air blew through my helmet…these hand warmers were LIFE!!! I absolutely loved it and appreciated it throughout.
Anyways, aside from how the process for this tour went…let’s talk about what I saw and the feeling the entire experience brought me and may bring you. Our tour took us to the heart of Prince William Sound’s Blackstone Bay. After launching from the shores of the Whittier boat harbor, we covered about 60 miles with the entire tour lasting about four hours. In my opinion…so worth the asking price per person, and gave us great memories that you couldn’t possibly put a price on. We got to enjoy the scenery as we rode against the wind and waves. We got to see multiple glaciers, which names I cannot remember, because let’s face it…I’m terrible with names. Haha! We got to turn off the jet skis and just float around for a few minutes to truly admire and appreciate the natural beauty that surrounded us. We got to hear the gulls squawking as they soared and landed on the ridged edges of what I would call Bird Island (that may not even be it’s name). We got to listen to the waterfall splash into the glacier melted waters, which was actually music to my ears. Weird or not…the sound of the waters’ movements are very calming to me and brings me to a place of inner peace.
We also got to see six side by side glaciers, in which one was still frozen and was just a beautiful hue of blue. Okay, the mom in me is going to come out for a second, because when I stared at this particular glacier, I felt exactly how I would assume Elsa would have felt upon finding Ahtohallan. It was such a gem to find, and truly a magical experience that I could have never experienced on a cruise ship tour. To be up and close to the glaciers at a distance that we could have never gotten to experience on a cruise ship, and to be able to touch the ice pieces floating in the waters was truly a magnificent sight. We even heard the glaciers crackling, which made me back up a bit. Nothing happened, but if I were to witness a piece of that glacier falling into the water and cause a scene for the eyes…that would have added onto this already exciting adventure.
And aside from admiring the beauty of the glaciers…the other best part for me when riding the Sea Doo was riding the waves in Alaska! As ships passed by or other jet skis swerved in constant…they both created waves, that at high speeds made me feel like I was another Evel Knievel. Not exactly doing flips and crazy stunts on the waves, because first and foremost…safety first. But it definitely felt like I was taking a ride on the wild side…and I loved every bit of it!!
All in all… if you do decide to pay a visit to Alaska, most especially the Anchorage, Seward, Whittier, Girdwood areas…take some time to experience Alaska the way you wouldn’t be able to anywhere else. This way, when you go back home and your friends and family asked what you did there, I guarantee you that they either would not believe you, or your adventure would be the talk of the town. Trust me… I think I’ve already recruited several people to add Alaska to the top of their bucket list, just because of this experience. If you have any questions and want to learn more about this tour, let me know. Orrrr…you can call Glacier Jetski Adventures yourself to start planning your next Alaskan outing! Whichever you choose…Charlie and Dannie will take great care of you and give you an experience of a lifetime! Don’t believe me…check out their Facebook to see how much fun people have when booking a tour with them. Hope this helps!
