Today was a magical day in Glacier Bay. After picking up a park ranger from Bartlett Cove, we slowly passed by South Marble Island. The guttural grumbles and growls of Steller sea lions greeted us as we approached, then the calls of kittiwakes chasing off a juvenile bald eagle joined in.
Underway, we enjoyed the shifting light, clouds, and mist of the bay. Every so often, a window opened to the massive peaks surrounding us. Arriving at Gloomy Knob, we scoured the high rock faces looking for the area’s Tlingit namesake – mountain goats. Soon, small white dots took shape, and we watched six goats at rest. As we left, a brown bear was spotted ahead, quickly followed by a mom and cub on the rocks just behind us.
Our passage through Russell Cut brought us dozens of sea otters and hundreds of surf scoters. After making it all the way to the northern terminus of Glacier Bay, we stopped at Jaw Point on our way south and got beautiful views of Johns Hopkins Glacier and the mountains behind. Our final stop, Geike Inlet, brought us three killer whales and incredible crepuscular rays piercing through the trees, a perfect end to soak up an amazing day.
