August 23, 2016
August 23, 2016
Glacier Bay is a long fjord that is famous for its
historical record. When English explorer George Vancouver sailed by in
1795 at the end of the Little Ice Age, he found the bay completely filled with
a glacier. When John Muir came 80 years later to study the glacier, it
had shockingly disappeared leaving a bay surrounded by eleven finger glaciers.
Two National Park rangers board the ship and provide a running commentary as we cruise 75 miles to the fjord’s terminus at Marjorie Glacier. Finding a spot sheltered from the misty rain, we watched it calve for an hour. It was a letdown from our previous glacier experiences.
On the passage out, the rain finally stopped, the fog lifted
somewhat, giving us a glimpse of what we missed. We discovered a rocky
polychrome coast. Hillsides wiped clean of vegetation, and scarred with
glacial scratches. A land trying to be reclaimed by fields of colorful
lichen. We see three more receding glaciers. The blue-tinged ice of Lamplugh glacier just glistens. Beautiful!
Near the mouth of the park, we pass Marble Island covered with harbor seals. We continued to watch from the comfort of deck chairs hoping for a whale. Where have all the whales gone to?
With a recommendation by the Captain we got up early this
morning for another round of whale watching. Armed with coffee, at 5am, we waited
patiently for these goliaths of the sea to make an appearance. Nothing again.
An hour later our ship entered Glacier Bay National Park. A pea soup of fog and rain joined us immediately. We went for breakfast hoping the sun would burn it off. It only got worse. A fellow passenger showed me magnificent photos from his prior visit. We are missing beautiful scenery. Curses!
An hour later our ship entered Glacier Bay National Park. A pea soup of fog and rain joined us immediately. We went for breakfast hoping the sun would burn it off. It only got worse. A fellow passenger showed me magnificent photos from his prior visit. We are missing beautiful scenery. Curses!
Glacier Bay is a long fjord that is famous for its
historical record. When English explorer George Vancouver sailed by in
1795 at the end of the Little Ice Age, he found the bay completely filled with
a glacier. When John Muir came 80 years later to study the glacier, it
had shockingly disappeared leaving a bay surrounded by eleven finger glaciers.Two National Park rangers board the ship and provide a running commentary as we cruise 75 miles to the fjord’s terminus at Marjorie Glacier. Finding a spot sheltered from the misty rain, we watched it calve for an hour. It was a letdown from our previous glacier experiences.
On the passage out, the rain finally stopped, the fog lifted
somewhat, giving us a glimpse of what we missed. We discovered a rocky
polychrome coast. Hillsides wiped clean of vegetation, and scarred with
glacial scratches. A land trying to be reclaimed by fields of colorful
lichen. We see three more receding glaciers. The blue-tinged ice of Lamplugh glacier just glistens. Beautiful!
Near the mouth of the park, we pass Marble Island covered with harbor seals. We continued to watch from the comfort of deck chairs hoping for a whale. Where have all the whales gone to?
posted by Mike and Aimee at 5:49 PM
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