Petersburg, Alaska
Since we started this voyage in Seattle, we have seen the effects of ice on the land. The scenery we have cruised has been dominated by the history of glaciation – fjords, u-shaped and hanging valleys, moraines and outwash plains. But only in the distance on mountain peaks have we seen ice and snow.
Today, we saw ice in close-up. After a morning in Petersburg we cruised over to the Le Conte glacier in the afternoon. This is one of the fastest moving tidewater glaciers in the world, advancing up to 30 metres per day. The result of this movement and calving activity is a large field of icebergs and bergy bits filling the head of the fjord. The Sea Bird approached as close as the ice would allow and then launched the Zodiacs for a memorable cruise among the ice. We listened to the crackle of bergy seltzer as centuries old air bubbles were released from the ice. We watched harbor seals hauled out on the ice to pup at this time of year. And we marveled at a granite landscape sculpted by the power and beauty of a slow-moving river of ice.
Since we started this voyage in Seattle, we have seen the effects of ice on the land. The scenery we have cruised has been dominated by the history of glaciation – fjords, u-shaped and hanging valleys, moraines and outwash plains. But only in the distance on mountain peaks have we seen ice and snow.
Today, we saw ice in close-up. After a morning in Petersburg we cruised over to the Le Conte glacier in the afternoon. This is one of the fastest moving tidewater glaciers in the world, advancing up to 30 metres per day. The result of this movement and calving activity is a large field of icebergs and bergy bits filling the head of the fjord. The Sea Bird approached as close as the ice would allow and then launched the Zodiacs for a memorable cruise among the ice. We listened to the crackle of bergy seltzer as centuries old air bubbles were released from the ice. We watched harbor seals hauled out on the ice to pup at this time of year. And we marveled at a granite landscape sculpted by the power and beauty of a slow-moving river of ice.
