Compass Heli Tours‘ glacier kayaking experience has been all over social media for the past couple years. I’ve even had friends tag me in the viral posts. What they didn’t know is that I booked this expedition a year before I left, having gotten counsel on the best dates (and the short window of availability) to go. I put out an open recruitment call on Facebook, as you pay by the helicopter load, not the seat. Three of my local friends (or their wives for them) raised their hand to join me. Another friend from my 40th birthday Antarctica base camp adventure signed up, too, and filled a chopper with his family. To a man, everybody in my chopper said this was the most epic morning of our lives. Here are some of the highlight images of that trip.
I requested a stand-up paddleboard, which was convenient for Compass Heli Tours—because a bear had just slashed the kayak intended for me. Big thanks to Tony Smith for bringing his underwater housing to catch this 50/50 shot. I love this moment that Ryan Smith captured. It was a pinch-yourself stroll. “We’re alive for this! We’re not dreaming!” You feel like an action movie hero walking from a helicopter across this landscape to waiting kayaks. Millennia of humankind never saw this place. An infinitesimal slice of people have stood here. Those thoughts make me feel healthily small and incredibly grateful for the opportunities I’ve found and then experienced.This adventure had been more than a year in the making. It felt surreal when it came time to buckle into our helicopter seats. We had high expectations, which were blown out of the water with the incredible reality. We. Kayaked. On. A. Glacier! The water was at most 7 feet deep, but we were 6,400 feet above sea level in water that was only a couple weeks above the ice. Photo credit: Nick Drader of Compass Heli ToursThis. Is. joy. It’s also relief that I sold my buddies on an epic adventure and then seeing it surpass all of our grand expectations. This is the face when a dream comes true, when hope becomes reality, when a moment is as beautiful as you had hoped. Photo credit: Ryan SmithI swapped my SUP for Aaron’s kayak and played a little snow baseball with one of our wilderness guides. This was the only time I made contact; so, I’m glad someone caught it on camera. Photo credit: Nick Drader of Compass Heli ToursWhere the ice pressed up from the deeper part of the glacier, there was a rift in the ice where dark water loomed beneath our paddles (to depths of about 40 feet). Tony was creeped out by it—thankfully not enough to keep him from this epic 50/50 shot of Aaron Tice kayaking it.This ice had just days prior pushed up from the bottom of the lake up through the melt stream. The surface ice didn’t push away from our kayaks as easily as it did in the Southern Ocean on my Antarctica trip. It was work to cut through here, but Aaron intrepidly led the way.As we got ready to load the choppers for home, four of us chose to take a dip. It was as cold as you’re thinking: 1º C/34º F. We weren’t supposed to put our heads under the surface, but I wanted the full experience. Photo credit: Nick Drader of Compass Heli Tours reunited with Ralph and Val from my 40th birthday Antarctica trip—seeing them for the first time when they stepped out of their chopper onto the snow next to ours. What an entrance. What a fun day. Photo credit: Nick Drader of Compass Heli ToursThe best part of this kayaking trip was the shuttle service. THIS is how you get to the drop in. 45 minutes of proximity flying—each way—through the Canadian Rockies to this undisclosed spot on crown land. Photo credit: Nick Drader of Compass Heli ToursI’ve been to Vancouver multiple times. I’ve been to every continent and both polar regions, but British Columbia is my favorite corner of the planet. So, I had enjoyed a lot of what we experienced or something similar. What made this trip epic in my heart was that I got to introduce friends to these sensations and vistas. Several moments on this trip, I looked up and saw Aaron, Ryan, or Tony smiling—soaking in an experience. And my heart leaped. I wanted to cry a couple times. Helping other people choose and experience adventure is one of my favorite privileges in life. I’m not sure what heaven looks like. I don’t know if it will have mountains and glaciers and snow. If not, I can’t imagine what will be a visual upgrade on places like this. I would pay to return here, just to be left alone for a couple hours with my headphones and a list of songs like “Tremble,” “What a Beautiful Name,” “So Will I,” “King of My Heart,” and “Extravagant.” I came here in pride, but I was humbled by a Creator who before I was born had scheduled me to meet him here. Photo credit: Ryan Smith
Ryan has pursued physical and spiritual adventures on all seven continents. I co-lead the Blue Ridge Community Church parking team and co-shepherd Dude Group, a spiritual adventure community for men.
