Dear Catholic Answers Fan:
So there I was, walking down the gangplank at Juneau, leaving the comfy surroundings of the ship for a two-hour trek on a glacier.
The previous day the other speakers and I had given several apologetics talks--this was the Catholic Answers apologetics cruise to Alaska, after all--but today was a port day, and the port was Alaska's capital.
It was time for me to work off some of the ship's too-tempting food. I figured that if I wanted to keep my figure (what there was of it), I needed to sign up for a shore excursion that involved some physical exertion, so I chose the trek on the Mendenhall Glacier.
It was the logical choice for someone who had lived most of his life in San Diego. You might live where snow is a constant companion for three or more months of the year. You might even have a mini-glacier in your backyard right now, but the last measurable snow to fall in San Diego arrived forty years ago, and the only ice to be found here is behind the freezer door.
Maureen North of our staff and I joined a gaggle of people who took an excursion bus to Juneau's tiny airport. There we were ushered into a room where we removed our regular shoes and jackets and donned gear suitable for a "National Geographic" cover: orange jumpsuit, safety harness, thick plastic boots, crampons, gloves, goggles, helmet, and the obligatory ice axe.
Then we waddled across the tarmac to waiting helicopters, which, thirty minutes later, disgorged us onto the icy back of Mendenhall Glacier.
For two hours guides took us across the white expanse, advised us to stay away from yawning crevasses (we already had figured out that was a good idea), and gave us instruction in using our ice axes to climb 45-degree slopes.
It was a blast. I would do it again, were I back in Juneau.
I won't be back there this year, but you can be there, on the Catholic Answers apologetic cruise. The dates are June 8-15. For complete information about this and the other cruises we're sponsoring in 2008, go to http://www.catholicanswerscruise.com, or call our agent, The Cruise Authority, toll-free at 1-800-707-1634.
This year's cruise to Alaska will be on Holland America Line's ms Westerdam (a beautiful ship--I've sailed on it before). The ship will leave Seattle and will visit Glacier Bay, Juneau, Sitka, and Ketchikan in Alaska and Victoria in British Columbia before returning to Seattle.
As I say, I won't be on this year's cruise, but you'll be treated to four speakers who can outdo me in apologetics: Tim Staples, Jimmy Akin, and Jim Blackburn of the Catholic Answers staff and special guest Mark Shea, whom you probably know from his many books and frequent magazine articles.
Each day will begin with Mass, and you will learn plenty about your Catholic faith from these four--and you'll have a grand time doing so. They will answer any question you might have about the faith and will show you how you can explain the faith to others.
But not all of your time will be spent listening to their talks or speaking with them privately. You will have plenty of time to relax aboard the ship and to enjoy yourself on shore.
Perhaps hiking on a glacier is not your thing. Not a problem. In each port there are many excursions to choose from--in Juneau alone there are 36. If you prefer not to join an organized outing, you're free to walk about on your own. That's easy to do on this cruise because all of the Alaskan port towns are small and can be covered easily on foot.
Please visit http://www.catholicanswerscruise.com to get more information now, or call The Cruise Authority at 1-800-707-1634 between 9:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. Eastern Time.
I hope you'll join the Catholic Answers team on this or one of our other faith-building cruises. You will sail with a convivial group of people who share your beliefs, and you will learn so much about Catholic teachings that your faith will be immeasurably deepened.
Many thanks for thinking about joining us--even if you choose to skip the glacier trek!
Best wishes in Christ,
Karl Keating
President, Catholic Answers
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