Glacier Bay National Park
The day started off like it had for most of the past week, plenty of endless sunshine, which is quite uncommon for Southeast Alaska at this time of the year. Early morning found us entering the Glacier Bay National Park where we intended to spend the day. After a brief introduction from our Expedition Leader introducing our park ranger, Mandy Harmon, whom we had picked up earlier from the ranger station in Bartlett Cove, we anxiously prepared for time on deck, wrapping ourselves in warm clothes and bedecked with cameras and binoculars. South Marble Island was the first of our destinations and we quickly recognized the familiar Stellar sea lions of the day before, large masses of grunting and rumbling creatures, covering almost every inch of rock. Various species of birds nest here including Glaucous-winged and Black-legged gulls, Tufted and Horned Puffins and the latter had our guests extremely excited since this was a first sighting for many. Suddenly the calm waters off the north end of the island erupted in a display of humpback flesh resembling lunge feeding behavior. This whale looked as if it was trying walk on land it was so close to shore.
As our captain navigated our ship among the narrow inlets, we had gotten word from another vessel that a black bear was seen moving along the beach of North Sandy Cove and sure enough, there it was, lazily munching on what seemed to be grasses in the upper shore. After awhile, it slipped away into the dense alder. Pasted to the steep cliff sides were mountain goats, still wearing their winter pelage, little white blobs from afar hardly moving. The young kids that are born at this time of the year often fall to their death as they try to follow mom.
All the while, our park ranger and guide continued with a running commentary regarding the natural history of the area including the development of glaciers. Soon up ahead loomed Margerie Glacier, sparkling white under the bright sunlight. This glacier is immense, towering some two-hundred and fifty feet above sea level and covering a distance of 21 miles. As we watched in amazement and awe, huge chunks of its face sheared off and plopped into the water with hardly a sound only to be followed shortly by a thunderous kaboom! Margerie was calving, a process whereby icebergs are formed by collapse of glacial ice into the water.
While on our way back to the lower bay area, the unmistakable tall dark fin of a killer whale cleaved the surface of the dark water about a hundred yards from our starboard stern and just beyond it, another spout but taller and bushier, followed by a departing giant fluke, identified our next marine mammal as a humpback. A number of Stellar sea lions, shamelessly cavorted between the two, seemingly oblivious to their presence.
The sun doesn’t set here until almost ten o’clock pm and so after supper, we went shore at Bartlett Cove for one last hike. Later, back on board, I could hardly sleep wondering what wild new adventures tomorrow would reveal, here in the Great Land, the Last Frontier: Alaska.
The day started off like it had for most of the past week, plenty of endless sunshine, which is quite uncommon for Southeast Alaska at this time of the year. Early morning found us entering the Glacier Bay National Park where we intended to spend the day. After a brief introduction from our Expedition Leader introducing our park ranger, Mandy Harmon, whom we had picked up earlier from the ranger station in Bartlett Cove, we anxiously prepared for time on deck, wrapping ourselves in warm clothes and bedecked with cameras and binoculars. South Marble Island was the first of our destinations and we quickly recognized the familiar Stellar sea lions of the day before, large masses of grunting and rumbling creatures, covering almost every inch of rock. Various species of birds nest here including Glaucous-winged and Black-legged gulls, Tufted and Horned Puffins and the latter had our guests extremely excited since this was a first sighting for many. Suddenly the calm waters off the north end of the island erupted in a display of humpback flesh resembling lunge feeding behavior. This whale looked as if it was trying walk on land it was so close to shore.
As our captain navigated our ship among the narrow inlets, we had gotten word from another vessel that a black bear was seen moving along the beach of North Sandy Cove and sure enough, there it was, lazily munching on what seemed to be grasses in the upper shore. After awhile, it slipped away into the dense alder. Pasted to the steep cliff sides were mountain goats, still wearing their winter pelage, little white blobs from afar hardly moving. The young kids that are born at this time of the year often fall to their death as they try to follow mom.
All the while, our park ranger and guide continued with a running commentary regarding the natural history of the area including the development of glaciers. Soon up ahead loomed Margerie Glacier, sparkling white under the bright sunlight. This glacier is immense, towering some two-hundred and fifty feet above sea level and covering a distance of 21 miles. As we watched in amazement and awe, huge chunks of its face sheared off and plopped into the water with hardly a sound only to be followed shortly by a thunderous kaboom! Margerie was calving, a process whereby icebergs are formed by collapse of glacial ice into the water.
While on our way back to the lower bay area, the unmistakable tall dark fin of a killer whale cleaved the surface of the dark water about a hundred yards from our starboard stern and just beyond it, another spout but taller and bushier, followed by a departing giant fluke, identified our next marine mammal as a humpback. A number of Stellar sea lions, shamelessly cavorted between the two, seemingly oblivious to their presence.
The sun doesn’t set here until almost ten o’clock pm and so after supper, we went shore at Bartlett Cove for one last hike. Later, back on board, I could hardly sleep wondering what wild new adventures tomorrow would reveal, here in the Great Land, the Last Frontier: Alaska.
