Glacier National Park

From the pamphlet we were provided: "Comprised of 3.3 million acres of mountains, glaciers, forests, and waterways, Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve is a highlight of the Inside Passage and part of a 25-million-acre World Heritage Site - one of the world's largest protected natural areas - designated by UNESCO."

All I can say is wow! The park is enormous and the scenery beyond spectacular. We visited on May 12 and May 16 - the first day the sun was shining brightly and on the second day it was cloudy and overcast but I don't remember any rain. Each time we met up with the park rangers at Bartlett Cove near the opening of narrows leading into Glacier Bay. They arrived on a smaller boat and climbed a rope ladder to reach one of the lower decks. Throughout the day, the rangers were in various areas of the ship providing information to the passengers. This included announcements from the Bridge as we neared the two main glaciers, Margerie and Grand Pacific. 

Only two large ships are permitted in the bay each day. We were lead in by one of the Norwegian ships. We also saw a couple of smaller ships who were able to get even closer to the glaciers. They do have to keep a certain distance as the ice falling can cause large waves.

As we were sailing in, I spotted this small boat hauling an ice shack...or at least that is what I assume it would be. 

It doesn't appear to be large enough to be a house.

I believe this is Willoughby Island. The sight of the snow on the mountains beyond the island was just amazing in the sun.

The next photo was to the starboard side of the ship, and still in the shade. Those two white dots in the center are Dall sheep, named for William Dall, a paleontologist and geographer who was part of the Harriman expedition.

It took several hours to actually reach the glaciers, and I spent most of that time watching from one of the lower decks for 20 minutes or so, then running indoors to warm up before venturing out again. It wasn't terribly cold but it was chillier than it had been in the ports, especially as we got closer to the glaciers.

The glaciers are visible from a great distance but we knew we were getting closer when we started seeing ice in the water.

Little did I know that on that first visit that these small chunks of ice were nothing in comparison to what we would see later.

I believe this is the Reid glacier. 

I was fascinated by the ripples of rock, ice and snow on the top of the glacier.

The stars of the show were the Margerie and Grand Pacific Glaciers. Margerie in on the left, and the Grand Pacific on the right, distinguished by the dirty appearance, the result of silt carried by the glacier as it recedes. 

Two hundred and fifty years ago, the Grand Pacific glacier reached as far as Bartlett Cove. By 1879, when John Muir named the glacier, it had carved out a good portion of  Glacier Bay. In 1892, it was discovered the glacier had split into three separate glaciers. One of those, Reid Glacier is named for the man who made this discovery, Harry Fielding Reid.

  

We were able to stay at the glaciers for about an hour. The captain turned the ship half way through so that both sides of the ship could enjoy the view. This was for the people who watched from their balconies. I just moved from one side of the open deck to the other.

One of the two smaller ships we saw that day. The Admiralty Dream. It is available on various itineraries in the Alaskan waters, carries 54 passengers, and is able to visit areas not open to the larger cruise ships. The cost of the passage is a bit beyond my means, but it would be a wonderful way to see Alaska.

You might think I took this next photo on black and white, but I did not. It was an area called, if memory serves, Bear Beach, and this was truly the color of the rocks and sand. It was is in the shade and there were no bears. 

Back at the narrows, late in the afternoon we dropped the park rangers at their boat to return to the ranger station. I've no photos of them climbing down the rope ladder...I couldn't lean that far over the edge. 

Our second visit on May 16, was cloudy and cool. I was up on deck as the rangers made their way to the ship.

Again I spent a lot of time on deck 7, but wandered in an out more frequently as the temperature got quite chilly. I didn't bring a winter parka, but wore several layers, gloves and scarf. Most often it was my hands that got cold.

On our way through the bay, I took many photos of the sea lions on the rocks. I'd missed them the first time, as I'd be on the opposite side of the ship. I'll only share a couple few.

Again, as we closed in on the glaciers, there were several icebergs to be seen, including this one covered in sea birds. This was fairly large but not as large as we had seen.

Back at Margerie and Grand Pacific Glaciers, I didn't take many photos. I simply stood and watched and listened to the sounds around me. 

The cruise ship was clearly stirring up the fish below, as the birds swarmed to get a feed.

This fellow seemed to be as interested in me as I was in it. 

Throughout the day the tops of the mountains were mostly obscured by the clouds.

What was interesting was the colors within the glaciers. On the sunny day, you could certainly see some color but it seemed to be more a reflection of the blue sky, but on this grey day the colors within the glaciers were incredibly vivid. These photos are of Reid Glacier. 

Contrast this with the last photo I took as we sailed out of Glacier Bay. The landscape is harsh, but oh so beautiful.

So ends the visit to Glacier Bay National Park. It was two very interesting days, with the commentary from the rangers, and especially seeing the difference in the views based on the weather. Having said that, it wouldn't turn out to be my favorite series of glaciers.

Next up - College Fjord and Hubbard Glacier.