Glacier Bay National Park
While most of us slept, the ship pulled into Bartlett Cove to pick up our National Park Ranger, Kevin Richards, for our day’s visit to Glacier Bay. This spectacular region was established as a National Monument in 1925 and gained the status of a national park and preserve in 1980. Later it was designated as a World Heritage Site and a Biosphere Reserve, providing international recognition for this expansive wilderness.
Tongues of fog and low clouds formed silvery ribbons across the nearby hillsides, teasing us with peek-a-boo views of snow-capped peaks in the distance. Sunlight forced its way through the overcast sky, exposing impressive vistas as the morning progressed. A dramatic expanse of mountains and glaciers opened before us.
Our first stop, South Marble Island, was alive with activity. Masses of sea lions lay in heaps on the rocks. Their presence was accentuated by their low, guttural growls and a distinct odor as we passed downwind of their haul-out. This site is important for nesting seabirds. Puffins, kittiwakes, glaucous-winged gulls, murres, and other species perched on the cliffs of marble or on the rounded top of the island that was covered by glacial ice only 165 years ago.
As the day progressed, one highlight after another unfolded. A brown bear grazed near the water’s edge. This seemed like a fabulous sighting, but farther up the bay another bear appeared on the hillside. With time on our side, we watched this handsome individual walk down to the shoreline. It searched for food exposed by the low tide, then investigated a stream where salmon might be a dinner option. The bear finally meandered out-of-sight, and we continued on only to discover five mountain goats on the slope high above. A bit farther ahead, a nanny and its nimble kid scrambled on a steep cliff face a short distance above water level.
During early afternoon the National Geographic Sea Lion negotiated a maze of floating ice on its approach to Johns Hopkins Glacier. Hundreds of resting harbor seals provided some scale for the immensity of the face of the glacier. Tall mountains cradled a river of ice that culminated in the ice-blue pinnacles that touched the sea. After witnessing this scene for some time, the ship turned away to retrace its route back to the park entrance.
Once docked after dinner, there were opportunities to go ashore. Some strode directly to the gift shop and lodge, while others joined naturalists for a variety of walks along the road and into the forest. As dusk settled in, all returned to our Southeast Alaskan home aboard ship, leaving Kevin and the national park behind.
While most of us slept, the ship pulled into Bartlett Cove to pick up our National Park Ranger, Kevin Richards, for our day’s visit to Glacier Bay. This spectacular region was established as a National Monument in 1925 and gained the status of a national park and preserve in 1980. Later it was designated as a World Heritage Site and a Biosphere Reserve, providing international recognition for this expansive wilderness.
Tongues of fog and low clouds formed silvery ribbons across the nearby hillsides, teasing us with peek-a-boo views of snow-capped peaks in the distance. Sunlight forced its way through the overcast sky, exposing impressive vistas as the morning progressed. A dramatic expanse of mountains and glaciers opened before us.
Our first stop, South Marble Island, was alive with activity. Masses of sea lions lay in heaps on the rocks. Their presence was accentuated by their low, guttural growls and a distinct odor as we passed downwind of their haul-out. This site is important for nesting seabirds. Puffins, kittiwakes, glaucous-winged gulls, murres, and other species perched on the cliffs of marble or on the rounded top of the island that was covered by glacial ice only 165 years ago.
As the day progressed, one highlight after another unfolded. A brown bear grazed near the water’s edge. This seemed like a fabulous sighting, but farther up the bay another bear appeared on the hillside. With time on our side, we watched this handsome individual walk down to the shoreline. It searched for food exposed by the low tide, then investigated a stream where salmon might be a dinner option. The bear finally meandered out-of-sight, and we continued on only to discover five mountain goats on the slope high above. A bit farther ahead, a nanny and its nimble kid scrambled on a steep cliff face a short distance above water level.
During early afternoon the National Geographic Sea Lion negotiated a maze of floating ice on its approach to Johns Hopkins Glacier. Hundreds of resting harbor seals provided some scale for the immensity of the face of the glacier. Tall mountains cradled a river of ice that culminated in the ice-blue pinnacles that touched the sea. After witnessing this scene for some time, the ship turned away to retrace its route back to the park entrance.
Once docked after dinner, there were opportunities to go ashore. Some strode directly to the gift shop and lodge, while others joined naturalists for a variety of walks along the road and into the forest. As dusk settled in, all returned to our Southeast Alaskan home aboard ship, leaving Kevin and the national park behind.
