On deck before breakfast many of us were watching icebergs as we made our way up Tracy Arm. On the radio we heard that one of the guests up in the bridge thought they had seen a bear. Slowly we searched the shoreline for movement and as we were about to give up on the search, Eric, our photo instructor spotted our elusive target. Elusive it was, and just as the rest of the guests join us on the bow, the bear made its way back into the forest, a reminder that the wildlife of Alaska keeps their own schedule, not ours. All was not for naught however, it did not escape our attention that the heavy rains of yesterday were no longer with us; a moment of gratitude was held by all.
Soon we were off, sailing the length of Endicott Arm, and headed for our prize of the day, Dawes Glacier. Our sail was not to be direct; a needed pause would be had in order to fulfill a rite of passage on board the National Geographic Sea Lion, the polar plunge. Our expedition leader had offered a challenge to our guests, if we were able to achieve the goal of $5,000 in contributions for the LEX Fund, she would after more than a decade in both polar regions, finally make the plunge herself. Unfortunately, the goal fell short, and she was once again spared the cold embrace of Alaskan Sea. Others were not, and a few of our more adventurous visitors leaped from the pontoons of one of our inflatable crafts and into the icy depths of the glacially fed waters. Special congratulations to our undersea specialist Shaylyn, who celebrated her birthday with an icy dip.
Soon we were on our way again, sailing down Endicott Arm, the rock walls around us almost close enough to touch. The narrow fiord created by the retreating glacier gave us extraordinary views of the power of these massive sculptors of the land. Sailing into the canyon made by relentless movement of ice made us feel small as we realized the scale of the geological undertakings still happening as the ice retreats. When we reached our destination, boats were lowered and set forth to explore the glaciers face in our small inflatable boats. As we moved closer, we stopped to view icebergs already let loose from the river of ice. Waterfalls flowed from every side, further adding to the spectacle before us. We settled in about a quarter of a mile from the glaciers face and drifted in hopes of seeing the ice release a glacial calf, but only the occasional flush of a slide of ice would grab our attention. We thought, today the glacier sleeps, her thunder saved for another day. Then, as we turned to head back to the ship, a massive eruption of ice shot from below the surface. They are called shooters, large pieces of ice that are calved from below the surface, were the face of the glacier still runs deep. When they surface, it is like a mountain of ice being born from the sea, water cascading from the ice as the shape of the new iceberg comes into view for the first time. A grand finally to a grand adventure on board the National Geographic Sea Lion.
