This morning we arrived at the south end of Frederick Sound, near Le Conte Bay. This bay, or inlet, terminates in the mighty Le Conte Glacier. Le Conte is the southernmost of all tidewater glaciers in the northern hemisphere. It drops huge bergs into the sea. We took our Zodiacs out for an intimate look at these great chunks of ice.

After some days of decidedly "damp" weather, we were delighted to go boating under skies as clear as ice and as blue as bergs. When seawater melts icebergs, they become top-heavy, roll, and melt again. The result is an infinite variety of shapes, suggesting menageries of animal forms, mountains, clouds, or ramparts. At one point, we turned to see the Sea Lion framed in a ring of ice.

Glaciers and icebergs inspire scientific inquiry and flights of imagination. In Southeast Alaska, we're pleased to consider them from any point of view.