Glacier Bay National Park
Ode to Johns Hopkins Glacier
Oh ye mighty glacier
Spectacular blue/marbled face
With your sculptural ice and calving
Natures’ timeless beauty and grace
Picking up our National Park Ranger escort Richard Becker at Bartlett Cove the previous night allowed us to wake up to the majestic face of the Johns Hopkins glacier over coffee and breakfast. Moderate calving happened at regular intervals before we headed south, stopping at a smaller glacier named Lamplugh, still impressive with 150-foot high walls and a three quarter mile wide face.
Russell Island provided us with a great view of a brown bear, appearing to be oblivious to us as he walked, swam and fed along the shore. Kittlitz murrelets still lingered before heading out to sea for the winter, as well as mountain goats forging along the steep slopes around Gloomy Knob. All were wonderful sightings along our way.
Ranger Rich gave us an insightful lecture on the unique geology of Glacier Park, informing us that the earliest fossils here are unlike any other in North America, but akin to those in Siberia! The lecture was interrupted by a spotting of none other than the distinctive dorsal fin of the killer whale, a small group and most likely residents, according to our naturalists. The differences between the two are quite distinct, and resident whales do not become transients, or vice-versa. They are fundamentally different in most aspects of their behaviors, social organizations, and ecology. The differences are so profound, that the two forms are genetically isolated despite living in the same waters. One indicator is the shape of the dorsal fin, which tends to be more pointed at the tip in transients, and rounder in residents. They are considered to be separate races at this time, according to the genetic information presently available.
We could not have asked for a better ending of our time here and this week of abundant wildlife! Perhaps our luck will continue tomorrow and, as we bid adieu to this gorgeous day at Glacier Bay, the sun broke through on our walk up to Bartlett Cove lodge.
