Glacier Bay, Alaska
The scenery in Alaska, whether viewed on TV, seen in a book, or experienced first hand (or so I had been told) is awe-inspiring and incredibly majestic. For years a trip to Alaska has been on my list but somehow had never gotten to the top. Finally an opportunity arose. My mother, having never been on a cruise, decided she wanted to go on one to Alaska and I offered to go with her. We picked July as a reasonable time for the excursion as it was the height of summer and thus we could hope for the best weather. In addition, sailing out of Vancouver and slowly traveling up the inner passageway to Anchorage sounded like a great way to spend seven days. I chose that specific itinerary because the fifth and sixth days we were at sea and would be cruising through both Glacier Bay and Prince William Sound. The first day of the cruise, as we went north out of Vancouver, the scenery kept getting more and more beautiful but little did I know what was waiting for us at Glacier Bay.
Typical panorama from incredible Glacier Bay.
As we headed north and started getting more into glacier country the muddy brown ocean water slowly gave way to the green color characteristic of glacier fed water. In the past glaciers ruled this part of the world. As little as 100 years ago it was impossible to travel by boat up into Prince William Sound. The glaciers’ withdrawal has left behind deep U-shaped valleys and channels that define today’s waterways through which the large cruise ships, not to mention whales and other wildlife, can successfully navigate. Steep mountainsides covered with a carpet of dense pine trees and other vibrant foliage competing for soil and air define the sides of the many channels Signs of man’s influence are few and far between, rarely seen. Set against the lush green hills, the combination of the water and the vegetation produced a rainbow of green constantly surrounding us as we moved north. Snow kissed mountain tops added a bit of contrast to the constantly changing palette of green. Even the lack of sun and the constant presence of overcast clouds did not diminish the impact of the expansive scenery.
Where a stream joins the bay. More majestic landscape!
Only two cruise ships a day are allowed into Glacier Bay and it was by design that we were on one of them. At the entrance to the park several park rangers rendezvoused with our ship, climbing aboard via a rope ladder from their tiny vessel. During the day as we cruised through the bay they gave constant narration about the various glaciers and wildlife we experienced. The bay, one of the largest protected wildlife areas in the world, was beautiful, defined by rugged shore lines and dotted with blocks of ice. The glaciers themselves, none less than a mile across and several hundred feet towering over the water, were spectacular. Dirty ice, white ice, ice in various shades of blue all blended together to present the unique panorama unfolding in front of us. Most of the passengers on the boat were outside on the decks, despite the cold and the slight mist that was present, in order to get a better view. The clouds hugged the tops of the mountains but remained high enough that a clear view of the glaciers was possible.
The glaciers only looked more dramatic when surrounded by a vibrant forest. The scale was hard to take in!
As a matter of fact, our park ranger narrator was insistent that the ice had to be seen and heard in order to experience the glacier completely. I ventured outside along with my fellow awe-struck tourists and found the park ranger absolutely correct. The constant cracking of the ice, coming across the still water like thunder, interrupted the almost total silence that enveloped me as I stepped onto the deck. The ship, barely moving, was making no sound. Random snatches of conversation were the only background noise to the sudden cracks and roars emanating from the inside of the stressed out glacier. Occasionally a piece of ice would crack off and fall with a roar and a swish into the icy waters below, throwing up a spray of water of unknown height. The murky blue-green water was decorated with thousands of blocks of floating ice, large and small, waiting to melt after being released from their parent. It was serene, beautiful and majestic.
Glacier close up. Even in the overcast skies the various shades of blue could be seen.
It is an experience I will not forget – the stillness, the majesty, the beauty, the amazing wildness of the place. Standing there and being an observer from afar made me want to jump off the ship and swim to shore and just stay, spending days hiking and appreciating the pure natural environment. The thought crossed my mind as well “What would Antarctica look like?” Maybe I have another addition to my list……
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