Glacier Bay National Park
No one day is ever the same in Glacier Bay National Park, each provides us with a new perspective and understanding of this immense land. The sun warmed our faces as we began the day in the lower bay. A National Park Ranger had joined us and we were heading north with high expectations. Shortly after breakfast we were invited on deck to experience the raucous activity of South Marble Island; this small exposed space is a haul-out for countless Steller sea lions and is a nesting site for tufted and horned puffins, black-legged kittiwakes and many other birds, noisily socializing and tending their nests.
Shortly after departing South Marble Island, it seemed as if we barely had time to put away the extra layers that were quickly being shed in the warm sunshine when we were again called to deck to take in a rare sight, a group of four Orca zig-zagged their way past Tlingit Point showing us their agility and beauty in the calm waters of Glacier Bay. After taking a short time to view and experience these incredibly intelligent and social creatures, we continued northward with grand images of glaciers in mind.
Many inlets in Glacier Bay remain closed to boat travel to provide a protected haven for wildlife as well as a serene opportunity for visitors who come in small groups; Johns Hopkins Inlet is such a place. With it’s massive tidewater glacier that shares the same name, this long fjord, chock full of recently calved ice, frequently remains closed to boats to allow its large population of harbor seals an opportunity give birth to pups on the floating ice without being disturbed. We were fortunate to have been able to take the first up-close look at this inlet following its opening to small ships on July 1st. The mountains reflected on the water and growlers, bergie-bits, and icebergs floated, cracked and tumbled in all directions as the Captain deftly maneuvered the National Geographic Sea Bird closer to our destination. All the while, the occasional cannon-like boom audible as the Johns Hopkins Glacier calved in the distance. It is these far reaches that complete the Glacier Bay experience and allow us to gain the perspective provided by this grand land. As we took in the almost moonscape appearance of this recently glaciated landscape the contrast of the tree-lined shores of the lower bay provide proof of the change and transition that is a hallmark of Glacier Bay National Park.
No one day is ever the same in Glacier Bay National Park, each provides us with a new perspective and understanding of this immense land. The sun warmed our faces as we began the day in the lower bay. A National Park Ranger had joined us and we were heading north with high expectations. Shortly after breakfast we were invited on deck to experience the raucous activity of South Marble Island; this small exposed space is a haul-out for countless Steller sea lions and is a nesting site for tufted and horned puffins, black-legged kittiwakes and many other birds, noisily socializing and tending their nests.
Shortly after departing South Marble Island, it seemed as if we barely had time to put away the extra layers that were quickly being shed in the warm sunshine when we were again called to deck to take in a rare sight, a group of four Orca zig-zagged their way past Tlingit Point showing us their agility and beauty in the calm waters of Glacier Bay. After taking a short time to view and experience these incredibly intelligent and social creatures, we continued northward with grand images of glaciers in mind.
Many inlets in Glacier Bay remain closed to boat travel to provide a protected haven for wildlife as well as a serene opportunity for visitors who come in small groups; Johns Hopkins Inlet is such a place. With it’s massive tidewater glacier that shares the same name, this long fjord, chock full of recently calved ice, frequently remains closed to boats to allow its large population of harbor seals an opportunity give birth to pups on the floating ice without being disturbed. We were fortunate to have been able to take the first up-close look at this inlet following its opening to small ships on July 1st. The mountains reflected on the water and growlers, bergie-bits, and icebergs floated, cracked and tumbled in all directions as the Captain deftly maneuvered the National Geographic Sea Bird closer to our destination. All the while, the occasional cannon-like boom audible as the Johns Hopkins Glacier calved in the distance. It is these far reaches that complete the Glacier Bay experience and allow us to gain the perspective provided by this grand land. As we took in the almost moonscape appearance of this recently glaciated landscape the contrast of the tree-lined shores of the lower bay provide proof of the change and transition that is a hallmark of Glacier Bay National Park.
