Bittersweet, the last, full day aboard National Geographic Sea Bird dawned upon us. Whimsical Williams Cove welcomed us in to its icy seascape for kayaking, hiking, and expedition landing craft tours. The formations of icy blue towered above onlookers as others found wolf tracks on the less travelled trails onshore.
Returning to the ship, guests gathered round to indulge in a riveting look at the microscopic life within the Endicott Arm. After exploring the life within the plankton tow, last minute additions to the guest slideshow were uploaded. Heading towards our final destination of Juneau, we made one last, pretty darn spectacular stop at Dawe’s glacier. Harbor seal mothers and pups dotted the bergy bits surrounding our expedition landing craft while waterfalls crashed down every crack of the towering mountains above. Guests marveled at the deep blue reflections within large icebergs as we pushed closer towards the immense glacier terminal. All of the sudden, we turned round to find benevolent Vikings charging full speed ahead towards us! They bestowed delicious cups of cocoa, whipped cream, and perhaps a hint of peppermint schnapps for the age appropriate.
Many saw small calvings of ice chunks ricochet off the glacier into the turquoise, freshwater lens below. But holy cow! A few got a glimpse of a lifetime as a gigantic sheet of ice calved off Dawe’s glacier and sub-marine bergs rocketed to the surface. The entire waterline rose to where the tide had etched away at the glacier’s face, but a few minutes passed before the real power of the ice’s descent came to fruition.
Expedition landing craft just a few feet away vanished behind large tidal waves that were generated from the massive blocks of ice crashing into the water. Even Sea Bird rocked back and forth significantly as those on the bow cheered and grinned in awe! One guest, coincidentally celebrating his 50th wedding anniversary, proclaimed, “What could be better!?…. Complimentary cocktails!”
We all clamored on board with chilly hands and warm smiles after seeing such a sight. As the evening came to a close, we watched the guest slideshow, reflected on the unique beauty and experiences we had shared in none other than Southeast Alaska together, and then we enjoyed a delicious meal! We are sad to see family and new friends depart tomorrow, but we wish them well on their upcoming travels. Also, wishing a sweet-potato-packed-pizza birthday to our expedition leader, Larry Prussian.
