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Alaska Cruise Review: Sea Bird

Thursday, August 05, 2004

Glacier Bay National Park

Can you name a dirty glacier that comes from Canada? How many feet per day (on average) did the Grand Pacific Glacier retreat from 1780 until 1925? Where do we go to get the latest scuttlebutt on glaciers? For these answers and more, we spent the day exploring and feasting our senses in Glacier Bay National Park. To help us answer some of these questions, we welcomed aboard our Park Ranger for the day, Sue Hazlett.

Happily greeting the sun for the second day in a row, we spent the day cruising along the western arm of the bay. Passing Boulder Island brought us into the company of sea otters – lots of sea otters! A “quick count” by naturalist Stephanie estimated the number near to 300, rafted among the kelp beds.

At Marble Island, we didn’t know where to look. If we looked down, we spotted tufted and horned puffins, bobbing on the surface of the water. All around were black-legged kittiwakes and pelagic cormorants. Sunbathing on the rocks were Stellar’s sea lions, basking and burping, as their coats gleamed golden in the sunlight.

Tucking in to Tidal Inlet, we witnessed a mother brown bear with her two new cubs. While one cub decided it was time for a mid-morning nap, and the other cub rambunctiously explored the rocky shore, the mother enjoyed a barnacle buffet. After finishing our own delicious buffet, the announcement of more bears swept excitedly through the ship. Those of us who weren’t already on deck quickly made our way outside to view another set of brown bears – this time the two cubs were a year older than the previous cubs, and their behavior much more independent and self-sufficient.

Our thoughts quickly switched from bears to ice as Margerie Glacier came into view. Frozen towers of jagged blue stretched skyward, sparkling in the afternoon sunlight. If we had questions as to the “hows” and “whys” of glaciers, they did not remain unanswered for long. Geologist Scott presented his talk “The Big Chill – Glaciers in Alaska” in the lounge as we made our way back down the bay. If glaciology wasn’t enough to grab you, Linda offered a knot, tying session on the bow, and Third Mate Emily hosted a chart, making class.

With the sun making its way towards the horizon, recap rolled around, and we learned the answers to the questions asked earlier: The Grand Pacific is the dirty glacier that originates in Canada, and with the help of Scott and Marca, we figured that it retreated approximately 7 feet a day from 1780 until 1925. Linda entertained us by explaining the origin and meaning of nautical terms, such as “scuttlebutt.”

Following dinner, we enjoyed the chance to stretch our legs in the woods by Bartlett Cove. Some of us came upon a porcupine or two munching a snack of cottonwood tree leaves and two of our younger guests spotted a moose emerging from the water and walking into the woods. The spectacular orange, pink and purple sunset highlighted the Fairweather Mountain range in the distance – a fitting end to a stunning day.

Author: Beth Anne Robertson, Purser; Photo: Tommy Gibson, Guest