Le Conte Bay, Petersburg, and Thomas Bay
Day 3 of our National Geographic Expedition in Alaska was served up “on the rocks” with a “twist” of adventure. “On the rocks” meaning we got to see more chunks of floating ice than you’d find during happy hour in a Manhattan singles bar. Our “twist” being, we piled into the Zodiacs for some close-up maneuvering through the maze of icebergs in LeConte Bay. The LeConte Glacier, the southernmost tidewater glacier in North America is very active. The constant calving has turned the fjord into a minefield of dark blue abstract ice sculptures. Our group viewed the journey as a traveling ink blot test, seeing among other things: a turkey, a dog, a horse, a unicorn, and a bird in the icy forms. These benign definitions however did not lessen the risks posed by icebergs. After separating from the glacier, these large blocks of ice break apart again and again until they finally melt into the sea. A small boat in the wrong place can be flipped upside down by one of these breakups. Knowing that, we nicknamed our Zodiac, “the Titanic.” However we were never in any real danger because all of our drivers were experts at keeping a safe distance from the bergs.
Later in the afternoon many in the group took flight-seeing trips over the bay and the glaciers for an aerial view of the source of all the icebergs. It was an excellent perspective on a couple of these massive relics of the ice age that are responsible for carving the fjords and valleys so integral to the beauty of Southeast Alaska today.
Day 3 of our National Geographic Expedition in Alaska was served up “on the rocks” with a “twist” of adventure. “On the rocks” meaning we got to see more chunks of floating ice than you’d find during happy hour in a Manhattan singles bar. Our “twist” being, we piled into the Zodiacs for some close-up maneuvering through the maze of icebergs in LeConte Bay. The LeConte Glacier, the southernmost tidewater glacier in North America is very active. The constant calving has turned the fjord into a minefield of dark blue abstract ice sculptures. Our group viewed the journey as a traveling ink blot test, seeing among other things: a turkey, a dog, a horse, a unicorn, and a bird in the icy forms. These benign definitions however did not lessen the risks posed by icebergs. After separating from the glacier, these large blocks of ice break apart again and again until they finally melt into the sea. A small boat in the wrong place can be flipped upside down by one of these breakups. Knowing that, we nicknamed our Zodiac, “the Titanic.” However we were never in any real danger because all of our drivers were experts at keeping a safe distance from the bergs.
Later in the afternoon many in the group took flight-seeing trips over the bay and the glaciers for an aerial view of the source of all the icebergs. It was an excellent perspective on a couple of these massive relics of the ice age that are responsible for carving the fjords and valleys so integral to the beauty of Southeast Alaska today.
