Glaciers & North to Nature
It was our day to cruise Glacier Bay. Heck, I didn’t know much about Glaciers, so I was ready to learn! Our first Glacier that day was coming up at 9 am. I got up early and went up to Deck 16 for a little breakfast before coming down to see the massive ice formations. My husband and boys were already in the cabin, on the balcony, ready to check it out. Heck, they even ordered room service!
The earliest known writings/recordings of the Glacier Bay we know today, came in 1741 by 2 Russian explorers. They met the Tinglit tribe at that time. These native Americans still live there today and have been part of Alaska’s fabric since the land was formed. Then in 1794, the Brits showed up and laid claim to the area. Big fight. The Russians were there first. A convention in 1825 settled in the Russian’s favor and they sold Alaska and this area to the USA in 1867. The boundary with Canada was settled in 1903.
When the Brits visited in 1794, Joseph Whidbey, wrote that the glaciers were deep. Then in 1888, when John Muir visited, he noted how the glaciers had receded.
Whidbey said it was 48 miles into the sea. Muir stated it had retreated 44 miles from the sea. Now, it’s retreated 65 miles from the sea. However, there is still one glacier that is growing into the sea. I believe it’s the John Hopkins glacier. These are tidewater glaciers that end at the sea, which is different from an artic glacier. Per accepted scientific data, tidewater glaciers go through centuries long periods of advancing and retreating and are LESS affected by climate change than other glaciers. And I would argue, from what I saw, this is most definitely the case, but I’m not here to talk about climate change. I’m here to share my thoughts, observations, and pictures of the glaciers I saw in Glacier Bay national park.
The park itself is 3.3 million acres. We saw the Margerie, Lamplugh, John Hopkins, and Reid Glaciers. Per park rules only 2 cruise ships can enter the Inside Passage which contain the glaciers at a time.
The area was very chilly, and we definitely had to bundle up as we cruised through the area. The Margerie was considered stable, not growing, not retreating. The front was very solid and ice blue. When a glacier is so cold, the ice turns blue. We heard cracking and saw ice coming off the glacier. I was able to get several photos of the ice in the water.
John Hopkins looked the firmest, with a big glacial sheet of ice falling deep back into the mountain ranges. The mountains did seem not so tall to me, and there were several times, the clouds dusted the mountain tops. My husband saw a lone goat on one of the mountains, but I couldn’t pick it out. We saw a lot of sea otters (my favorite cutie water animal) and my son saw dolphins, but no bear or whale sightings.
We sailed the inlet about 3-4 hours total, and left the area roughly, around 1 pm. National Park Rangers joined us around 7 in the morning and were giving presentations all day. We were told the ship slowed down, but did not stop for them so the Rangers had to come up alongside us, and climb a rope ladder to get onto the vessel. The NPS rangers left us at around 2:30 pm.
Seeing nature so alive in such in cold environment like that makes you see it in a different perspective. For me, it was quiet, calming, and amazing. To see the sea otters just floating on their backs enjoying life despite the harshness is a lesson we can strive to emulate in our own lives.
Alaska’s nature was raw, beautiful, and poignant. Heck, I had already fallen in love with Alaska but seeing Glacier bay and it’s cool, raw beauty was the diamond ring. Alaska has everything I think of when I think of nature. It’s kind of nature I want to surround myself with.
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In 2010, Sarah Palin’s Alaska aired on TLC. It only had 1 season and 8 episodes. I didn’t even know about it until now when I started poking around, so I’m definitely going to try to find these episodes and check them out. I watched this clip about counting fish and could so relate after exploring Juneau on the Salmon bake and Skagway. The water is incredibly clear the fish are abundant. Alaska is a place where you have to go it, but it will blow you away. North to the Future!
