Another sunny day in southeast Alaska! Today’s morning announcements informed us that it was 57.6 degrees Fahrenheit, Mount Fairweather at 15,300 feet ’was out’ and the seas of Glacier Bay were calm. We should have known today was going to be a full day because by this time, the ship had already picked up several National Park Service Interpreters and two Tlingit Cultural Heritage Guides. After breakfast they gave us a brief introduction, informed us about the “Seven Bird Challenge” and were told to grab a jacket, a camera, sunglasses, and sunscreen and to get ready for an incredible day in the park!
Our interpreters continued. William Horton-Garrison set the cultural back drop and created a sense of place for us by sharing stories about his ancestors and how they were displaced by the glaciers moving “as fast as a dog could run”. He expressed how Glacier Bay was a place for spiritual rejuvenation and relaxation. It was not difficult to experience this sentiment! J.T. McGlaughlin created a sense of good fortune when he informed us we are in one of the rainiest places in North America, but that there was not a cloud in the sky.
After their orientations, we continued north through Glacier Bay with our first stop being South Marble Island. Several species of birds use the island as a nesting site and this was where we observed 6 of the 7 species on J.T.’s challenge: glaucous-winged gull, common murre, tufted puffin, pelagic cormorant, pigeon guillemot, and the black-legged kittiwake. Although we did not see the seventh on his list, horned puffin, we did see a pair of long-tailed ducks, which was a first for the trip. We also saw hundreds of Steller’s sea lions hauled out on the rocks.
We continued past Gloomy Point, so named for the typical weather patterns of the region, where we spotted mountain goats and several brown bears, including a sow and a yearling amidst a field of yellow flowers. Several guests had the opportunity to view wildlife through the spotting scope. The ship then traveled up the east side of Russell Island to get a look at four of the five tidewater glaciers occurring in this park. And this was all before lunch!
After lunch, we all gathered on the bow for incredible views of the Marjorie and Grand Pacific glaciers at the north end of Tarr Inlet. We were treated to some glacial calving from Marjorie, good views of the Kittiwakes and time to enjoy the Alaska sun. One would be stretched to top this experience. However, if possible, visiting John Hopkins Glacier may have done just that! This glacier descends from the extremely steep, extremely rugged snow clad peaks of the Fairweather Range, which was in full view: absolutely dazzling! We were given a sense of scale to this grandeur as we passed another very small cruise ship about the same size of the National Geographic Sea Lion. Before heading south to drop off our guests in Bartlett Cove, we searched for wolves in Geikie Inlet and found a black bear and humpback ehale. The cherry on the day was an evening of stories and music from author-photographer, Kim Heacox. Today was truly a gift!
