Glacier Bay National Park
Vast tracts of wild land support healthy populations of wild creatures. With no roads, no power lines, and minimal signs of human presence, Glacier Bay National Park is just such a place. Part of the largest contiguous wilderness area in North America, Glacier Bay is the crown jewel of the National Park system. Today it revealed its treasures to us.
Early risers were audience for the first gem of the day, patches of blue sky through which we saw the snow-covered peaks of the Wrangell – St. Elias Range. Throughout the day we stopped for wildlife and glaciers, but were continuously surrounded by spectacular scenery. There were tufted puffins and gangs of northern sea lions at South Marble Island, mountain goat moms with their surprisingly agile kids at Gloomy Knob and a brown bear boar and sow foraging in the intertidal on the Russell Fan, and that was all before lunch!
Emerging on deck after our midday meal, we almost could not believe the scene before us. The enormous Grand Pacific Glacier flowing south out of British Columbia, and the active blue face of Margerie Glacier to the west. With the ship anchored just a quarter mile from the glacier, we were able to listen to its internal rumblings, as well as to watch several good-sized calvings. Turning to depart, we swung by a huge black-legged kittiwake colony and found four horned puffins paddling on the glacial blue water. An adult bald eagle flew by with its fishy catch, while a hungry juvenile followed in hot pursuit.
Returning to Park Headquarters at misty Bartlett Cove after dinner, we went ashore to stretch our legs, and more intimately explore the young forest that has emerged over this raw, glacially scoured land.
Vast tracts of wild land support healthy populations of wild creatures. With no roads, no power lines, and minimal signs of human presence, Glacier Bay National Park is just such a place. Part of the largest contiguous wilderness area in North America, Glacier Bay is the crown jewel of the National Park system. Today it revealed its treasures to us.
Early risers were audience for the first gem of the day, patches of blue sky through which we saw the snow-covered peaks of the Wrangell – St. Elias Range. Throughout the day we stopped for wildlife and glaciers, but were continuously surrounded by spectacular scenery. There were tufted puffins and gangs of northern sea lions at South Marble Island, mountain goat moms with their surprisingly agile kids at Gloomy Knob and a brown bear boar and sow foraging in the intertidal on the Russell Fan, and that was all before lunch!
Emerging on deck after our midday meal, we almost could not believe the scene before us. The enormous Grand Pacific Glacier flowing south out of British Columbia, and the active blue face of Margerie Glacier to the west. With the ship anchored just a quarter mile from the glacier, we were able to listen to its internal rumblings, as well as to watch several good-sized calvings. Turning to depart, we swung by a huge black-legged kittiwake colony and found four horned puffins paddling on the glacial blue water. An adult bald eagle flew by with its fishy catch, while a hungry juvenile followed in hot pursuit.
Returning to Park Headquarters at misty Bartlett Cove after dinner, we went ashore to stretch our legs, and more intimately explore the young forest that has emerged over this raw, glacially scoured land.
