- Full day boat trip to Glacier Bay in horrible weather conditions
- See otters, fishing grizzly, mountain goats, sea lions and a variety of birds
- Marvel at tidal glaciers Margerie, Grand Pacific and Lamplugh while calving into the bay
- Walk through the forest to a swamp and along the coast on the way back
- Met a tree prick, later seen again mother moose with young
Get up early again and get really wet for the first time. It is pouring from buckets and my last spark of hope that the weather will get better for the boat tour is soon extinguished. On the Baranov Wind catamaran we take off into Barlett Cove and continue through the Sitakaday Narrows out into Glacier Bay. All sorts of people are on board, whom I met yesterday on the ferry. In hardly any other place in the world can the change in landscape after the melting of glaciers be observed as well as here. In 1794, Captain George Vancouver encountered a huge glacier in Icy Strait. Within only 70 years, during the Little Ice Age around 1750, this had advanced far, driven out the Tlingit Indians who lived there and buried the fertile valley under itself. As fast as the glacier advanced, however, it also retreated quickly.
When conservationist John Muir arrived in 1879, he found a bay more than 60 kilometers deep: Glacier Bay was born. The weight of the glacier had pushed the land down. When he withdrew, the now empty bay filled with sea water and a new fjord was created. Meanwhile, the glaciers have retreated a long way and only seven tidal glaciers remain in the entire national park. Since it is an area with extremely high levels of precipitation, some of the few glaciers growing worldwide are also located here. Overall, however, the trend is downward here too.
The first highlight of the tour is South Marble Island. Steller sea lions and various sea birds cavort here. Particularly worth seeing are the numerous puffins, whose flying skills are definitely not among the best in the bird kingdom. Some adorable sea otters are floating in the waves. It is hard to imagine that these cute guys were almost exterminated because of their valuable fur at the beginning of the 20th century. Their fur is the thickest and finest in the entire animal kingdom. 100,000 hairs grow on a square centimeter, roughly the same as on the human head. In the meantime, their stocks have recovered to some extent.
At Seebree Island we are now unloading a group of kayakers for their multi-day tour in the east arm of the bay, which is closed to motorized boats. Certainly not an adventure for everyone in this cold and wet weather. Something that would also appeal to me. Unfortunately we hardly see anything of the picturesque coast and the mountains. The fog is too dense and it is still pouring rain. At Gloomy Knob we see some mountain goats from a great distance up in the rocks.
At the end of the Tarr Inlet we finally reach our main destination. The mighty, wonderfully blue-shimmering Margerie Glacier and the Grand Pacitic Glacier, which lies right next to it and is covered by rubble. We will witness how some impressive chunks of ice crash into the water. The cracking of the bursting ice is really impressive. By now everyone on board is soaked and cooled off. A warming soup, warm drinks and a sandwich are served.
The next stop is the slightly smaller, but even brighter Lamplugh Glacier. At the mouth of a stream, we can briefly spot a fishing grizzly. We are only denied a whale sighting, although Glacier Bay is a paradise for humpback whales and attracts in droves.
For me, Glacier Bay is clearly another highlight of Alaska. Just imagine how impressive the place would be if the weather was nice. Or how enormous the ice masses in the 18th-19th centuries. Century, which the discoverers faced.
Since I'm already dripping wet, I decide to go for a walk. After a swamp in the forest, I march back along the beach. Here I meet a tree prick next to all the algae, mussels and jellyfish that have washed ashore. The rodent doesn't care much about my presence and walks past me a few meters away. Back at the lodge, the warming shower is a real treat. I place my hiking boots in front of the fireplace and outside I meet the mother elk with her boy. The little one is really curious.
Somehow I don't feel like cooking today, even if I still have a lot of leftovers. So I have a burger and a beer at the lodge. Then my blog will be updated before I go out to my night spot and slip into the tent.
