In pink predawn light that promised a sterling day, the Sea Bird slipped into the calm waters of Glacier Bay, and docked in Bartlett Cove, where Marylou Blakeslee, a park ranger/naturalist, boarded and greeted us with her warm smile and colorful maps. Clouds retreated through the morning as we motored north. By the time we reached South Marble Island, the sky was clear. Tufted and horned puffins flew off the bow, together with pigeon guillemots, pelagic cormorants, black-legged kittiwakes (a species of small gull) and glaucous-winged gulls. Steller sea lions grunted and growled from their haul-outs on the rocks, some taking spectacular dives into the sea from their high perches.
We caught a brief glimpse of a wolf in Tidal Inlet, but it was only a prelude to the bear we saw an hour later, and no mere bear, but an Alaska brown bear—same species as a grizzly—swimming in the middle of the West Arm of Glacier Bay, bound from Queen Inlet to the Gilbert Peninsula. Captain Graves kept a respectful distance, and for seventy-five minutes we stood on deck and watched until the great animal reached shore, shook itself dry, and disappeared into the alder fringe.
For another hour we stood off the tidewater face of Margerie Glacier, hoping for an icefall. One giant serac—a tower of ice—appeared ready to fall, so we attempted to will it down during a minute of “Zen” power. It worked. After 50 seconds the tower came down in a big splash and everyone whooped with joy.
Heading down the bay in the afternoon, we gathered in the sunshine on the aft deck for a reading of The Garforth Bear, a chapter from my forthcoming book, The Only Kayak, Finding Friendship, Risk and Hope Among the Glaciers of Alaska.
The hotel staff offered a wonderful wine and local foods tasting in the lounge, and Marylou gave a warm farewell as we again approached Bartlett Cove beneath a salmon-colored sky. After two hours of hiking a boardwalk trail and visiting Glacier Bay Lodge, we departed for Baranof Island and points south, certain to dream of swimming bears.
Oh yes, one last thing. We had a naming contest for the bear. The winner, after great deliberation and international diplomacy, and detente, and all that, was, well, (are you ready for this?): Bear-Lee A. Cross.
