The endless blue sky came as a surprise, as if someone raised the roof or lifted the veil. We knew this was rain country; that the land itself was made of water. But when the day dawned clear and bright, we stared, breathless.
Our first foray on deck sent us quickly back to our staterooms to find our dark glasses. At South Marble Island we spied a multitude of our fine-feathered friends: glaucous-winged gulls, pigeon guillemots, black-legged kittiwakes, bald eagles, pelagic cormorants, and the most anticipated of all, colorful tufted puffins. As we left the island, Mt. Fairweather appeared in the distance, an impressive 15,300 feet above sea level. And only eight miles from the coast.
At midday we found ourselves peering up, this time not at high peaks but rather dark dull-colored rocks that by themselves weren’t spectacular until we found mountain goats! Faith Grant, our Huna Tlingit interpreter, shared with us the trials and tribulations that go into transforming the newly shed winter goat wool into colorful regalia worn by her people.
Shortly before lunch we began to see icebergs around the National Geographic Sea Bird telling us tidewater glaciers must be near, so we gobbled down sandwiches and hit the deck with cameras, binoculars, and most important of all, our sense of wonder.
For the first 45 minutes after our arrival to Margerie Glacier, all conversation dropped to whispers. Not because we were asked to, but through a shared sense of reverence. Imagine a beautiful glimmering blue glacier set in calm reflecting waters, eagles perched on icebergs, sapphire skies above, abundant (almost hot) sunshine spilling over the deck, and icefalls providing periodic thunders. A glorious afternoon.
Loren Eiseley said it best: “If there is magic in the world, it is contained in water.” In Alaska today the magical waters included rainfall that created textures of green, saltwater that provided habitat for sea lions, puffins, and whales, and snowflakes that coalesced into shimmering rivers of ice. Water in all its forms made for a magical day as our wonder turned to reverence and celebration, and we quietly cheered our good fortune.
