This morning, we awoke to a very promising day in Glacier Bay National Park. The clouds were parting, the lighting was beautiful, and we had hardly any wind of which to speak. Joined early in the morning by our National Park Service Ranger Andrew and our Huna Totem Interpreter William, we began the long journey north.
Glacier Bay is approximately 65 miles long, from the point where it opens into Icy Strait, all the way to the face of the Grand Pacific Glacier. The lower part of the bay has not been glaciated in a very long time and provides ample opportunity for wildlife viewing. Our first stop was at a smooth, rocky islet called South Marble Island. Home to numerous species of nesting sea birds, South Marble is a veritable ornithological goldmine. Some of us had our first experience with tufted puffins, common murres, pelagic cormorants, black-legged kittiwakes, and plenty of other species. The Steller’s sea lions draped over the polished rocks were languishing in the sunshine of the early morning.
We continued our northward journey, stopping in to Tidal Inlet, alongside Gloomy Knob, and finally up toward Composite Island. The Bay is dotted with geographical locations, each well known for its unique characteristics and blessed with descriptive names. Just as we thought that the glorious weather would diminish our wildlife opportunities, one of our guests spotted a brown bear in the distance, walking along a rocky beach. Soon, we discovered that it was not just one bear, but four: a sow and three yearling cubs. We enjoyed many views of the quartet as they ventured into and out of the vegetation, munching protein-rich grasses along the way.
Our afternoon was spent in front of Margerie and Grand Pacific Glaciers, at the head of the bay. More than once, the comment was made that it is impossible to describe the brilliant azure color of Margerie Glacier to anyone not present. In celebration of American Independence Day, our own naturalist Emily Mount played the “Star Spangled Banner” on violin, in front of the glacier. It was a beautiful, quiet moment and a lovely celebration of the day.
Headed back down-bay, we were blessed with very light ice conditions and we took the ship up to Jaw Point, at the head of Johns Hopkins Inlet. This stunning vista is one of the most coveted in the park, and often difficult to achieve because of heavy ice conditions out of the fjord. Today, we were able to swing through for an amazing look down the length of the arm. After dinner, we returned to Bartlett Cove to bring Andrew and William back home. The National Geographic Sea Lion stayed at the dock for a short while, and everyone took advantage of the opportunity to stretch their legs in the waning light. For our last moments of the day, we repositioned the ship just outside of the small town of Gustavus, Alaska and watched the few, scattered fireworks in the sky, in celebration of the holiday. It was a nice, fitting, Alaskan way to end a day exploring one of the largest protected areas in the world.
