Juneau was founded as a gold-mining camp in 1880, became the Alaska territorial capital in 1900, and the Alaska state capital in 1959 (upon statehood). The city is located in the panhandle of southeast Alaska, 900 miles (1,450 km) northwest of Seattle and 600 miles (965 km) southeast of Anchorage and is the only US state capital with no road access. We get off the ship and take an excursion that hikes to an overlook from which to view the Mendenhall Glacier which is 12 miles (19 km) long, 1/2 mile (0.8 km) wide and 300 to 1,800 feet (90 to 550 meters) deep.
After a good walk through the forest, the path starts up steeply, with handrails to help guide us over the slippery rocks. On one section, we have to face the rock wall and descend, slowly looking for footholds and handholds. Then, more steep pathways lead up, with handrails.
We continue up, with increasingly-expansive views.
Returning, we descend slowly down the steep paths and reach the flatter trails through the moss-covered forest leading back to our van.