Waking to the 250-foot sheer face of Margerie glacier towering off the bow, guests on National Geographic Sea Bird began their day at the far north end of Glacier Bay National Park. While admiring the handsome striations at its base, the deep blue of the compressed glacial ice and the towering seracs that jut from the top of the glacier, pieces of ice “calved” from the face plummeting to the water below with a thunderous crack. Beside Margerie glacier to the north stretched the two-mile moraine of the Grand Pacific glacier, the retreating front of the mighty river of ice that carved the 70-mile glacier fjord where we would spend the rest of the day exploring.
After a brief stop to enjoy the rich color of the glacier fondly referred to as “Lamplugh the Blue,” we continued southward. Park Ranger Jenny Eberlein and Tlingit cultural interpreter Leona Santiago discussed the natural and cultural history of the park with guests in the lounge over cocoa while our naturalists scanned the surrounds for wildlife. High on the dolomite cliffs of an outcrop known as Gloomy Knob, amongst the swirling mist we spotted a mountain goat grazing on the sparse vegetation. Shortly thereafter along the beach we came upon a brown bear sow and her three cubs turning over intertidal boulders to feast on crabs and other invertebrates. As we watched the four made their way to a nearby creek and the mother suddenly dashed into the water, grabbed a salmon and shared it with her cubs.
After lunch we approached South Marble to find a bonanza of marine life. Resembling flying penguins, common murres dove into the rich water surrounding the island while tufted and crested puffins wheeled overhead. As we came alongside the island a humpback whale surfaced near the ship before veering away in search of food. The croaking groans of the many Steller’s sea lions hauled out on the rock trailed after us as we pulled away. In the evening we fanned out to explore the forests surrounding the ranger station at Bartlett Cove and drew the day to a close with a delicious dinner and fascinating presentation by local writer, musician, and storyteller Kim Heacox.
