- Pancakes for breakfast
- Kayak and whale watching tours in Glacier Bay are fully booked
- Let hiking boots dry by the fireplace
- Then hike along the wide intertidal zone
- Another tree prick and black bear family met at the stand near Gustavus
My alarm clock goes early again. But only in the event that the weather was significantly better than the day before. After that it looks only partially, at least the cloud cover is still closed today. So I decide to sleep in instead of repeating the expensive tour.
After 9 a.m. I make pancakes, then I drive to the lodge, use the WIFI and let my hiking boots dry a bit. As it gets more beautiful outside, I regret my decision not to go on the boat tour today. Well, I can't change that, but at least I can make the best of the situation.
So put on hiking shoes and start walking along the intertidal zone. The tide is low and wide stretches of the beach are covered in flotsam. In it, seagulls and crows search for something to eat. Again I meet a tree prick, who is also busy eating a few meters in front of me on the edge of the tall grass. Lost in thought, I march on and keep looking out at the sea to see if a whale isn't there.
Instead, I meet a family of black bears and am wide awake right away. This is probably just as astonished by my appearance as I by hers. The three young animals stand on their back legs to get a better view of the intruder and then run off into the forest. The impressive mother keeps an eye on me and goes back to eating. In the meantime I have brought a few meters more safety distance between myself and the strong mother bear. Meeting a bear on foot is another thrill than seeing him out of the car. Even more when I am traveling far and wide alone. Not exactly the kind of bear you'd want to mess with, anyway. I watch the she-bear through the binoculars for a while before she also withdraws and I continue on my way.
After about 5 kilometers I take a break and take care of myself. I watch one of the immense cruise ships drive through the bay. The following way back is less eventful than the way there. At the dock I meet a Canadian who was kayaking in the bay for 18 days. He has of course met a huge number of animals including wolves, orcas, bears and humpback whales. He is also totally impressed by Glacier Bay. Even thinks that he has never been to such a place full of animals on the entire coast. At the lodge I meet the Australian Darko again and talk to him about all of my travel and photography. In front of the lodge there are again the moose and another tree prick was spotted in a tree. Later I drive out to my campsite and cook leftovers again. A tree prick waddles past me with his boy. These animals are simply a wonderful sight.
