Cruising around Glacier and Yakutat Bays
Monday 20 May
We’ve got the next two glorious days relaxing on the boat, cruising around and admiring the spectacular scenery of Alaska. The weather was slightly overcast this morning, but it didn’t take away from the beautiful views of Glacier Bay, a UNESCO World Heritage site which is at the northernmost reaches of the Inside Passage. The Sitakaday Narrows are situated at the entrance to Glacier Bay, and they are a natural squeeze point so when the tide retreats, all the waters flow towards the mouth of the bay, swirling together as the land squeezes the water at this point. Deep down is the remnant moraine (accumulation of debris, known sometimes as glacial till) of the Grand Pacific Glacier, a sill left behind after the glacial retreat of the Little Ice Age. The movement of the deeper water carries nutrients towards the ocean’s surface encouraging growth of phytoplankton which feed the enormous appetites of schooling fish – sandlance, capelin and lampfish, and of course, they in turn provide the feed for larger creatures!
We cruised passed the pristine Beardslee islands, Strawberry, Willoughby, Drake Islands and passed Russell Island where we were able to view the Margerie Glacier at the northern reach of Tarr Inlet and further back, the John Hopkins Glacier. The bay feeds several inlets which wind deeper into the mountains, all surrounded by soaring ice-capped peaks and forested shorelines. Ten tidewater glaciers, each 4,000 years old wind their way towards the bay. Glacier Bay is part of a national park that stretches 3 million acres which is a haven for sea otters – we saw some of their little heads popping up in the water - brown bears, moose, bald eagles and in summer, humpback whales. The Margerie Glacier is about 21 miles long, originating in the Fairweather Mountain Range at elevations exceeding 9,000 feet. The ice from this glacier flows relatively quickly, estimated to flow about 2000 feet per year – around 6 feet per day - and rests on an underwater ledge so the ice falls into the ocean in a process called calving, breaking into icebergs. These icebergs become resting spots for seals, otters, black-legged kittiwake gulls and other birds.
What a day – it seemed only right to celebrate with a champagne in the spa – and why not!
Tuesday 21 May
Well, if we thought yesterday’s viewing was spectacular – we had the most awesome sight when we opened our cabin curtains this morning – a bright blue, cloudless sky greeted us with the backdrop of the Hubbard Glacier in Disenchantment Bay! It is more than six miles wide where it meets the ocean, and it calves a lot - we saw lots of mini-icebergs floating past us. Its face is up to 400 feet tall and has continued to advance for about a century. In May 1986 it surged forward blocking the outlet of Russell Fjord and created Russell Lake. During that summer the lake filled with run-off and its water level rose 25 metres. In October of that year, the dam began to give way and in the next 24 hours an estimated 5.3 cubic kilometres of water gushed through the gap and the fjord was reconnected to the ocean at its previous level – this was the largest glacial lake outburst flood in recorded history. It takes about 400 years for ice to traverse the length of the glacier, meaning that the ice at the foot of the glacier is about 400 years old. The Hubbard Glacier is constantly being monitored as it’s known as a light sleeper and its boundary is in close proximity to the Canadian border.
I don’t think I need to tell you anymore about this Glacier – the photographs more than speak for themselves!
The rest of the day was spent enjoying all the luxuries the beautiful Viking Orion has to offer, including a brisk 4 laps around the deck, a session in the gym and then a fabulous hour in the splendid Nordic spa – the hot tub, which is the size of a small swimming pool, the snow grotto, the sauna, and a drenching from the bucket of ice water!
