Glacier Bay National Park
Today would be spent traveling through one of the premiere destinations in Alaska: Glacier Bay National Park. It is unique in the park service system in that it maintains a high visitation rate but a vast majority of those who visit the park never touch any part of it. It may sound strange but this is a water park where large, medium, small and miniscule boats, yachts and even kayaks ply the waters in search of scenery, wildlife, and destruction. The scenery is grand no matter what the weather, the wildlife is astounding and changes every few miles you travel up bay, the destruction is another matter. At the head of many of the fjords are glaciers. Some are tidewater glaciers. When the tides affect the face of the ice wall it can collapse without warning down into the ocean. This calving as it is known is quite spectacular and is usually associated with the oohhs and aaahhhs of those witnessing the destruction. The amazement of those watching ice melt is quite a scene.
Our day in the park was filled with amazing scenery, wonderful wildlife, and the fore mentioned ice destruction. We did see boats of all sizes and shapes but we had a special treat most visitors don’t get. We touched the land. After a full day of exploring and a great dinner we had a chance to visit the lodge and park headquarters for a walk in a fairly new forest, as Alaska goes, and see the amazing changes that have taken place over the past 200 years.
Today would be spent traveling through one of the premiere destinations in Alaska: Glacier Bay National Park. It is unique in the park service system in that it maintains a high visitation rate but a vast majority of those who visit the park never touch any part of it. It may sound strange but this is a water park where large, medium, small and miniscule boats, yachts and even kayaks ply the waters in search of scenery, wildlife, and destruction. The scenery is grand no matter what the weather, the wildlife is astounding and changes every few miles you travel up bay, the destruction is another matter. At the head of many of the fjords are glaciers. Some are tidewater glaciers. When the tides affect the face of the ice wall it can collapse without warning down into the ocean. This calving as it is known is quite spectacular and is usually associated with the oohhs and aaahhhs of those witnessing the destruction. The amazement of those watching ice melt is quite a scene.
Our day in the park was filled with amazing scenery, wonderful wildlife, and the fore mentioned ice destruction. We did see boats of all sizes and shapes but we had a special treat most visitors don’t get. We touched the land. After a full day of exploring and a great dinner we had a chance to visit the lodge and park headquarters for a walk in a fairly new forest, as Alaska goes, and see the amazing changes that have taken place over the past 200 years.
