Glacier Bay, Southeast Alaska
It is hard to imagine that just two hundred years ago Glacier Bay was buried under ice. Today we traveled 150 miles through the vast bay, past mountains, islands and rivers that were carved by those glaciers. Several large glaciers remain, but they represent a tiny fraction of what was here in 1780.
At 7 AM, Michelle woke us with word that a moose was swimming across a large span of water! The animal had no antlers, so we knew she was female. As she made her marathon swim, a harbor seal followed at a respectable distance. She finally walked out on shore, and after a few minutes the leggy animal disappeared into the trees.
South Marble Island is home to hundreds of seabirds and Steller sea lions. The sea lions slept in pig piles, and a few livelier animals argued and jostled with one another. Kittiwakes perched on the vertical cliffs; anywhere there was a narrow ledge, a pair of them stood on a precarious nest. Dozens erupted in flight as a bald eagle grabbed a kittiwake in its talons. An occasional tufted puffin flew past us, beating its wings double speed to remain airborne.
We passed several humpback whales as we motored north. In Sandy Cove, a coyote walked near the top of the beach. He paused in a tuft of tall grass and watched us, and our ship full of eyes watched him back. Gloomy Knob lived up to its name today; the smooth mound of rock was kissed by low clouds. As bare as it appeared, there was enough vegetation to feed several mountain goats. Nannies grazed while their kids scampered nearby. Further up the bay, we watched a large brown bear amble through a meadow, then disappear into tall shrubs.
At the head of Muir Inlet, Margerie and Grand Pacific glaciers nearly touch, but they are so very different! Grand Pacific is black, covered by rock fall three to four feet thick. This is the enormous glacier that once filled the bay. To its left is Margerie – clean, tall and white. A large cruise ship nearby lent some perspective before it departed. With every slight turn, the Sea Lion pushed aside a slushy mix of ice bits.
We stopped at Lamplugh glacier, the bluest glacier in the bay, and then moved to Reid glacier where Lee’s incredibly sharp eyes spotted another bear walking on the shore. As we watched, it entered the water and swam across the inlet between Reid glacier and us. It was just amazing to be able to watch another large land mammal swimming – a rare sight indeed! We ended this remarkable day with walks through the forest at Bartlett Cove. Three river otters crossed the trail in front of the hikers, and a porcupine perched in a cottonwood tree near the dock.
It is hard to imagine that just two hundred years ago Glacier Bay was buried under ice. Today we traveled 150 miles through the vast bay, past mountains, islands and rivers that were carved by those glaciers. Several large glaciers remain, but they represent a tiny fraction of what was here in 1780.
At 7 AM, Michelle woke us with word that a moose was swimming across a large span of water! The animal had no antlers, so we knew she was female. As she made her marathon swim, a harbor seal followed at a respectable distance. She finally walked out on shore, and after a few minutes the leggy animal disappeared into the trees.
South Marble Island is home to hundreds of seabirds and Steller sea lions. The sea lions slept in pig piles, and a few livelier animals argued and jostled with one another. Kittiwakes perched on the vertical cliffs; anywhere there was a narrow ledge, a pair of them stood on a precarious nest. Dozens erupted in flight as a bald eagle grabbed a kittiwake in its talons. An occasional tufted puffin flew past us, beating its wings double speed to remain airborne.
We passed several humpback whales as we motored north. In Sandy Cove, a coyote walked near the top of the beach. He paused in a tuft of tall grass and watched us, and our ship full of eyes watched him back. Gloomy Knob lived up to its name today; the smooth mound of rock was kissed by low clouds. As bare as it appeared, there was enough vegetation to feed several mountain goats. Nannies grazed while their kids scampered nearby. Further up the bay, we watched a large brown bear amble through a meadow, then disappear into tall shrubs.
At the head of Muir Inlet, Margerie and Grand Pacific glaciers nearly touch, but they are so very different! Grand Pacific is black, covered by rock fall three to four feet thick. This is the enormous glacier that once filled the bay. To its left is Margerie – clean, tall and white. A large cruise ship nearby lent some perspective before it departed. With every slight turn, the Sea Lion pushed aside a slushy mix of ice bits.
We stopped at Lamplugh glacier, the bluest glacier in the bay, and then moved to Reid glacier where Lee’s incredibly sharp eyes spotted another bear walking on the shore. As we watched, it entered the water and swam across the inlet between Reid glacier and us. It was just amazing to be able to watch another large land mammal swimming – a rare sight indeed! We ended this remarkable day with walks through the forest at Bartlett Cove. Three river otters crossed the trail in front of the hikers, and a porcupine perched in a cottonwood tree near the dock.
