We begin to hear the whump-whump-whump of the helicopters before they crest the final ridgeline before camp. To us, the sound means “it’s go-time.” In a second, the copters are just barely visible dots coming into the valley, and in a few more, they are on the snow with travelers from all over the world. From a distance, their smiles break any language barrier. From their perspective in the helicopter, the sound of slowing rotor blades drown out the 180 howling huskies before them, all eager to run.

“Welcome to Dog World,” we say as we greet visitors and take their safety fanny packs. After directing them to the opposite side of the helicopter, we juggle their fancy cameras to get their photos while talking small talk—“Where are you from?”, “Is this your first time to Alaska?”, “Have you ever been on a glacier before?”, “Do you have a dog?” et cetera ad nausium. But in that brief amount of time I get with them before they take their tour with our mushers, I am reminded at how amazing it is to be in a place like this for the first time.

As I flew over that last ridgeline and caught my first glimpse of my summer home on the Norris Glacier, I could still hardly believe it. It was even more amazing than I had imagined from the video (see below). The camp, the dogs, the people—the whole operation collectively referred to as Dog World was as foreign as the moon. In the evening, I saw my co-workers eyes for the first time which were hidden throughout the day by glacier glasses, their shape outlined by suntanned skin.

Throughout a day of tours I am constantly reminded that I have the best job in the world. I’ll believe that. It is pretty awesome. But what is even more satisfying is the chance I get to be a part of so many people’s “life changing experiences.” For them, it is the trip of a lifetime, a major check off a bucket list, or whatever other way they categorize the experience.

For a better idea of what our operation is all about, check out the Alaska Heli-Mush promo video (It may have been a reason I chose to work at a sled dog tour kennel for the summer to begin with)