August 30, 2011 - Alaska!
Our next 4 Trek's take us back to the wilds of Alaska! First stop - Glacier Bay National Park. To reach Glacier Bay, one must either go by sea or go by air. There are no roads to this Park. We opt for the high road and jump on Air Excursions Flight #192 from Juneau, AK to Gustavus (the town adjacent to the Park) via dinky single engine plane with seats for 5.
Air Terminal at Gustavus
Security is very lax here in Alaska! Pictured above is the Airport Terminal in Gustavus! A bit rustic...however, no lines and best of all....no TSA! Just lazy dogs and old gummers sitting around the Terminal drinking stale coffee. The people of Gustavus are proud to claim to have a moose population equal to or greater than the people population. We saw two moose!
Terry drinking white wine? She must be crazed!
In the past 30 years, I've known my wife to drink but only a rare glass of white wine. She's been a Red Head for all of her wine drinking days. At the Lodge at Glacier Bay, she discovered a very nice Sauvignon Blanc that has made her a convert!
Bartlett River Trek with Ranger Fay
One advantage to visiting the Parks late in the season is that crowds are minimal. Terry and I had Ranger Fay all to ourselves on two separate hikes. In essence, we had our one private Trail Guide who was delighted to share with us her knowledge of the Park and its history.
The Bartlett River Trail took us thru the rain forest along a soggy trail running parallel to the River.
Terry's first Bear sighting
A couple of miles into our hike, I spotted a Black Bear across the river from us. This was the first Bear Sighting Terry has had since we began Trekking the Parks. She was thrilled...and anxious! She got a bit nervous when the big furry fellow decided to take a swim across the river over to our shoreline! Ranger Fay seemed a bit on edge too and pulled her Bear Spray out of her holster. Although this fellow got fairly close to us, he wasn't much interested and moseyed off into the forest! This would only be the beginning of our "Bear Sightings".
Tlingit Carving along Forest Loop Trail
The Tlingit People (pronounced Kling-it) thrived in this region for thousands of years before having to flee the advancement of glaciers that were said to be moving at the pace of a running dog!
Glacier Bay Excursion
When you visit Glacier Bay...you must cruise Glacier Bay. To take in the sights, we signed up for an all day Bay Cruise on a large catamaran. The cruise would take us on a 65-mile one-way excursion departing from Bartlett Cove and concluding at the foot of Margerie Glacier. We passed close to South Marble Island to view the sleepy Sea Lions and its bird population. We passed by Tlingit Point and caught a fleeting glimpse of Mountain Goats high on the cliffs and a couple of Grizzly Bears fishing on a river.
Reid Glacier
But the main event on this tour are the Glaciers! A little more than 200 years ago, most all of Glacier Bay was covered by one huge ice field. Since then, it has since receded at a rapid pace pulling back 65 miles as it continues to shrink. As we cruise the coastlines, we are able to take a close look at these amazing wrinkled ice masses.
Two hundred feet of Ice
That eerie creaking sound is the glacier getting ready to "calf". Calving is the term used when a large hunk of ice shears off the glacier and comes crashing down into the Bay or on to the ground below. We had the good fortune to witness this Glacier give birth to a "calf"!
The Margerie Glacier sits over two hundred feet above the Bay and 1oo feet below the surface. Like most all of the Glaciers, Margerie is receding.
Glacial Cave and River
Departing Glacier Bay
The day was overcast and a bit chilly, however, the Bay was glassy flat. A water skiers dream. No boats. No wake. Barely a ripple on the ocean's surface. As we motored back to Bartlett Cove, we spotted several Humpback Whales off in the distance and actually had the pleasure of seeing one breach the surface. We just happened to be looking in the right direction at exactly the right time.
Park rules prohibit Excursion boats from getting any closer than a 1/2 mile from a whale...hence the whale watching portion of the trip was certainly not up close and personal. That is until we ran over a whale. Yes! That sudden bump and hollow "thump" was our Catamaran colliding with a Humpback! The Skipper was stunned! He'd just hit one of the area's prized mammals! He placed a call to the local Whale Biologist who asked us to stay in the vicinity until she could get out to assess the damage. We circled around and kept an eye on the whale who when surfacing made a horrendous screeching sound...as if he'd been hit by a boat!
Once the Biologist showed up on the scene we headed back to Port. The word got back to us that the whale was doing fine. Minor scrapes on his back...but no serious injuries. In fact, the same whale was spotted the very next day in the same spot. My thoughts...we didn't hit this fellow...he attacked us!
Sea Lions lazily lounge on South Marble Island
Sea Lions, Whales and Bears oh my! Sea Lions, Whales and Bears! We're not in Kansas Dorothy. This Bay is teaming with wild life. Birds of many feather. Rafting Sea Otters. Kamikaze Whales. Mountain Goats. Grizzly and Black Bears. We even spotted a porcupine on one of our hikes!
Peaceful Bartlett Cove
The sun finally peaked thru the clouds and provided us with a stunningly georgous day perfect for kayaking the Cove. The snow covered peaks of the Fairweather Range in the backdrop and the Rainforest lining the shore capped off an excellent three day stay at Glacier Bay!
Kayak Komrads!
Things to do at Glacier Bay: Glacier Bay Cruise for sure. Hike along the Bartlett River. Drink plenty of Sauvignon Blanc. And take a Kayak out on the Cove.
Paddling to our next destination!
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