Glacier Bay National Park
This day proved remarkable for wildlife, glaciers, and geology. Overnight, we motored up Glacier Bay in search of the rapidly retreating glaciers that filled the bay 200 years ago. We awoke to find ourselves stationed immediately in front of the Grand Pacific Glacier, which offered a striking contrast with its close neighbor, Margerie Glacier. The former is so laden with sediment that it’s not immediately obvious it’s a glacier, whereas the latter exposes much blue ice at its front. We then motored south and turned into Johns Hopkins Inlet to see the other glacier readily accessible in Glacier Bay, Johns Hopkins Glacier. Stopping the Sea Lion amid the increasing ice in the inlet, we were rewarded with a number of dramatic calving events. Between the three glaciers and fjord approaches, we were able to see examples of all of the hallmarks of glaciation: u-shaped valleys, over-deepened fjords, hanging valleys, lateral and terminal moraines, and polished bedrock along the fjord walls. These things can be described in a lecture or pictured in a book, but neither of these really do justice to a glacial landscape in terms of scale or, in the case of calving, of the drama that typifies the snout of a glacier. The trip up the inlet to Johns Hopkins also gave us the opportunity to see evidence of one of the great geologic events that shaped Alaska. The suture that welds the outboard Chugach terrane to the Alexander terrane is exposed in the fjord walls. The complicated rocks in the inlet testify to the heating and stresses associated with a tectonic collision.
Glaciers behind us, attention turned to wildlife, and what an extraordinary day it was. No sooner had we left JH Inlet and crossed to the other side of Glacier Bay than we saw bears along the shore. We spotted two lone bears in succession. The second of the two proved the more interesting, as he(?) ambled along and then decided to dig out a hole in the gravel to serve as a bed for a little nap. Plenty of birds waited around him, apparently hoping for left-overs, but they were out of luck. Sailing on down Glacier Bay, we paused at Gloomy Knob where numerous birds nested. A few tufted puffins were spotted, but the show was stolen by a mountain goat grazing on a ledge relatively close to our ship. From Gloomy Knob, a transect across open bay water allowed time for a lecture on Alaska’s oil resources. After crossing the mouth of Muir Inlet, we headed south toward South Marble Island where every bit of real estate was covered by Steller sea lions. Those hauled out on the island were aging and juvenile males. Probably a bit frustrated by their lot in life, a fair number were engaged in jousting. In open spots between all the mammalian blubber were a wide variety of birds…cormorants, oyster cathcers, mures, tufted puffins, among others. And in the waters off the island, we had our first good look at a sea otter. That glimpse suggested more to come…as we came to shoal waters near Beardslee Island, the water was filled with otters doing their otter thing….floating on their backs while dining. But perhaps the most amazing thing was yet to come.
We spotted a bull moose, equipped with an impressive rack, swimming the straights between the island and the mainland. Lagging behind so as not to panic him, we lingered for many minutes, fairly astonished to see this unlikely animal crossing such a broad stretch of cold open water. We finished the day by pulling into Bartlett Cove, where we parted company with Jenni, our NPS guide, and disembarked to visit the lodge or take short walks. Even as daylight faded, animal viewing continued; a number of our group were able to see a porcupine. Back on board, we left national park water just before our 24-hour permit expired.
This day proved remarkable for wildlife, glaciers, and geology. Overnight, we motored up Glacier Bay in search of the rapidly retreating glaciers that filled the bay 200 years ago. We awoke to find ourselves stationed immediately in front of the Grand Pacific Glacier, which offered a striking contrast with its close neighbor, Margerie Glacier. The former is so laden with sediment that it’s not immediately obvious it’s a glacier, whereas the latter exposes much blue ice at its front. We then motored south and turned into Johns Hopkins Inlet to see the other glacier readily accessible in Glacier Bay, Johns Hopkins Glacier. Stopping the Sea Lion amid the increasing ice in the inlet, we were rewarded with a number of dramatic calving events. Between the three glaciers and fjord approaches, we were able to see examples of all of the hallmarks of glaciation: u-shaped valleys, over-deepened fjords, hanging valleys, lateral and terminal moraines, and polished bedrock along the fjord walls. These things can be described in a lecture or pictured in a book, but neither of these really do justice to a glacial landscape in terms of scale or, in the case of calving, of the drama that typifies the snout of a glacier. The trip up the inlet to Johns Hopkins also gave us the opportunity to see evidence of one of the great geologic events that shaped Alaska. The suture that welds the outboard Chugach terrane to the Alexander terrane is exposed in the fjord walls. The complicated rocks in the inlet testify to the heating and stresses associated with a tectonic collision.
Glaciers behind us, attention turned to wildlife, and what an extraordinary day it was. No sooner had we left JH Inlet and crossed to the other side of Glacier Bay than we saw bears along the shore. We spotted two lone bears in succession. The second of the two proved the more interesting, as he(?) ambled along and then decided to dig out a hole in the gravel to serve as a bed for a little nap. Plenty of birds waited around him, apparently hoping for left-overs, but they were out of luck. Sailing on down Glacier Bay, we paused at Gloomy Knob where numerous birds nested. A few tufted puffins were spotted, but the show was stolen by a mountain goat grazing on a ledge relatively close to our ship. From Gloomy Knob, a transect across open bay water allowed time for a lecture on Alaska’s oil resources. After crossing the mouth of Muir Inlet, we headed south toward South Marble Island where every bit of real estate was covered by Steller sea lions. Those hauled out on the island were aging and juvenile males. Probably a bit frustrated by their lot in life, a fair number were engaged in jousting. In open spots between all the mammalian blubber were a wide variety of birds…cormorants, oyster cathcers, mures, tufted puffins, among others. And in the waters off the island, we had our first good look at a sea otter. That glimpse suggested more to come…as we came to shoal waters near Beardslee Island, the water was filled with otters doing their otter thing….floating on their backs while dining. But perhaps the most amazing thing was yet to come.
We spotted a bull moose, equipped with an impressive rack, swimming the straights between the island and the mainland. Lagging behind so as not to panic him, we lingered for many minutes, fairly astonished to see this unlikely animal crossing such a broad stretch of cold open water. We finished the day by pulling into Bartlett Cove, where we parted company with Jenni, our NPS guide, and disembarked to visit the lodge or take short walks. Even as daylight faded, animal viewing continued; a number of our group were able to see a porcupine. Back on board, we left national park water just before our 24-hour permit expired.
