Glacier Bay
The first sounds we heard this morning were sharp clunks and the rasping of glacial ice “bergy bits” knocking against our ship’s hull and rolling along her sides. This was our fitting welcome to Glacier Bay, as we were cruising into one of the bay’s most dramatic locations known as Johns Hopkins Inlet. Out on deck we were surrounded by steep mountains rising high into thick clouds. The waters of the inlet were milky green with suspended sediments of finely ground glacial silt, and dotted with small icebergs flowing slowly outward from the massive glacier at the far end of the bay. From there we cruised back out of the inlet, pausing at the lovely, bluish Lamplugh Glacier. During the early morning we were introduced to Sarah Betcher, a Glacier Bay National Park Ranger who would be our guest and local guide today.
Turning north we headed into Tarr Inlet where we visited Margerie Glacier. We lingered there, listening to the loud explosive sounds of calving ice. Numerous times we watched in awe as different parts of the glacial face crumbled into the sea. There were a few solitary harbor seals peering quietly at us from the icy waters. As the icy air was chilling our fingers, our Hotel Manager, Judie Blewitt, and her crew appeared bearing hot Irish Coffees with whipped cream to bring smiles and warmth for those out on deck.
As we headed back “down the bay” we cruised along the shores of Russell Island, past Gloomy Knob where a lone mountain goat appeared as a pale spot perched in the pale mist, and then on into Tidal Inlet searching for other wildlife that seemed especially elusive today. We retreated back into the lounge where Ranger Sarah gave an illustrated presentation titled “From Ice to Muskeg,” describing the geologic history of this region, and the fascinating story of plant succession that has occurred in Glacier Bay since the retreat of the glacial ice. By mid afternoon we reached the Marble Islands where we spent time observing Steller sea lions hauled out on the rocky shores, and a few seabirds roosting there. We continued on to Bartlett Cove where we docked near the Glacier Bay Lodge and the national park headquarters. After an early Recap, we disembarked to take a leg-stretching walk in the moss-laden spruce forest growing on the terminal moraine of the great glacier that once filled this magnificent bay only 200 years ago. After a day experiencing the grays, whites and blues of glacial valleys brimming with clouds, it was a wonderful respite to stroll through a verdant green forest dripping with mosses.
The first sounds we heard this morning were sharp clunks and the rasping of glacial ice “bergy bits” knocking against our ship’s hull and rolling along her sides. This was our fitting welcome to Glacier Bay, as we were cruising into one of the bay’s most dramatic locations known as Johns Hopkins Inlet. Out on deck we were surrounded by steep mountains rising high into thick clouds. The waters of the inlet were milky green with suspended sediments of finely ground glacial silt, and dotted with small icebergs flowing slowly outward from the massive glacier at the far end of the bay. From there we cruised back out of the inlet, pausing at the lovely, bluish Lamplugh Glacier. During the early morning we were introduced to Sarah Betcher, a Glacier Bay National Park Ranger who would be our guest and local guide today.
Turning north we headed into Tarr Inlet where we visited Margerie Glacier. We lingered there, listening to the loud explosive sounds of calving ice. Numerous times we watched in awe as different parts of the glacial face crumbled into the sea. There were a few solitary harbor seals peering quietly at us from the icy waters. As the icy air was chilling our fingers, our Hotel Manager, Judie Blewitt, and her crew appeared bearing hot Irish Coffees with whipped cream to bring smiles and warmth for those out on deck.
As we headed back “down the bay” we cruised along the shores of Russell Island, past Gloomy Knob where a lone mountain goat appeared as a pale spot perched in the pale mist, and then on into Tidal Inlet searching for other wildlife that seemed especially elusive today. We retreated back into the lounge where Ranger Sarah gave an illustrated presentation titled “From Ice to Muskeg,” describing the geologic history of this region, and the fascinating story of plant succession that has occurred in Glacier Bay since the retreat of the glacial ice. By mid afternoon we reached the Marble Islands where we spent time observing Steller sea lions hauled out on the rocky shores, and a few seabirds roosting there. We continued on to Bartlett Cove where we docked near the Glacier Bay Lodge and the national park headquarters. After an early Recap, we disembarked to take a leg-stretching walk in the moss-laden spruce forest growing on the terminal moraine of the great glacier that once filled this magnificent bay only 200 years ago. After a day experiencing the grays, whites and blues of glacial valleys brimming with clouds, it was a wonderful respite to stroll through a verdant green forest dripping with mosses.
