The Alaskan Experience: The Water

Our Alaskan Experience continued on the water. As we settle into our room and explore the ship, we realize that this too is different from other cruise vacations. To start, the ship is in port in Whittier, a secluded spot on the other side of a mountain tunnel. Its shrouded in just enough fog to give the surrounding landscape a soft touch.

We sail away through the inlets with beautiful mountain scapes on each side. From our balcony we watch Alaska go by. After a good night’s rest, we are up and anxious for today’s events. We will be seeing the Glaciers.

We are bundled up in our warm clothes. Gloves, hats, vests and scarves.

As we make our way into the bay, the water begins to change, it looks thicker, ice chunks appear. Icebergs begin to float by. First small ones than larger ones. Cold glacier melt and ice chunks are mixing with the ocean water. As we turn, we get the first glimpse of Hubbard’s Glacier.  Even from a distance the glacier appears huge. As we inch closer, the views grow more spectacular.  Closer yet, we first hear and then see the calving. As chunks of ice break off the glacier and plunge into the cold waters.  We hear the crack and then see the water exploding up as large chunks hit the sea.

 

The colors of the glacier are incredible. Deep cold blues, dark brown, where the glacier gathered earth on its journey and stark white of the newer ice and snow. In the distance we can see where the glacier has been carving out the earth on its journey.

The boat begins to pivot and slowly does a 360 degree turn. After our time in the bay, we sail back out to the inlet and continue our journey.  

Our next day begins with a rainy, foggy start. We are making our way through the Fjords on way to Glacier bay. As we enter the bay, we spot sea lions, lots of them, otters, and gulls just hanging out on small islands and icebergs. The distinctive sound of the “barking” sea lions permeates the air. The diving and resurfacing of the otters catch our attention. The gulls swoop down to catch their meal in the cold waters. The water shimmers like glass.

On the approach to Marjorie Glacier, the rain starts to come down heavy. As the rain begins to dissipate, the glacier comes into focus. It is smaller in width than Hubbard’s but much, much bluer. The park ranger is now on board and informs us that they estimate the ice that we see in front of us to be over 1000 years old. The incredible richness and depth of the glacier allows for a broad range of deep blues, greys and stark white ice. Calving is not as active here today but the view is incredible. Again, the captain rotates the boat 360 degrees. As we leave the bay, we see the remains of glaciers that have given up all their ice.

 

 

 

 

As we leave the bay and cruise the inlet, we search the shoreline for bear. The ranger tells us that the bears will come down to the waterline in search of food when the salmon run begins to slow down. No bear sighting today.

The next day we rise early. We have a summit tour and salmon bake in Scagway. Off the ship and our land tour begins. As the bus makes its way up the slopes we learn that Scagway was the entry point for miners in search of gold in Dawson’s Creek Canada. It was a long hard trek with supplies and mules. Very rough terrain, no roads, ill prepared miners and ever-changing weather. Many did not survive or turned back. The terrain is ever changing from pine tree lined slopes to harsh rock lands. We arrive at the Canadian border check pass. We are now in Yukon territory. In a short while, we arrive at the Yukon Suspension bridge. The bridge crosses over a deep cavern with a river rushing below. The bridge is metal but has a lot of up and down motion but virtually no sway. The views are incredible and you can see for miles the twists and turns of the river. It’s cold and windy as we cross over and then return. We grab some hot chocolate and learn more about the miners and the Canadian history of the area.

We pass through the American check point and we are now back in Alaska. Arriving at the salmon bake, we are in Liarsville, named for the earlier settlers of the region. The bake is fun as we watch them prepare the fresh salmon on open grills, enjoy the food and the setting.

Back to the ship, we cruise off into the evening on our way to Juneau, the state capital. Interesting there are no direct roads to get to the city. Access is plane, boat or dogsled!  Our tour today puts us back on the water as we view the Mendenhall glacier and ride the rapids.

As we head over to the lake in our bus, BEAR!. A beautiful black bear shuffles across a residential street. At last our bear siting.  We arrive at the departure point. Everyone into their cold-water gear. Full rubber suits, gloves, hats and boots.  We meet our leader. He explains what will be doing and how to get in and out of the raft. Off we go on to the raft and ready for this adventure.

The water is calm at this point with only a ripple. The water temperature is 34 degrees. Just barely over freezing. The lake is 100 feet deep.  It’s a very pleasant journey along the river, we see the amazing glacier and start to head over where the rapids begin. There are a dozen boats as part of the group. We are in the lead and hang out for the others to catch up. Once again, the eagles appear, flying high overhead and hanging out in the trees.

We begin our rapid run. What a blast. The cold icy waters hit you but there is so much action you don’t even notice. We make it through the first set of rapids. Slow down for part of the river and then hit the second more intense rapids. What a rush. Sadly, the rapid run comes to an end and now it is time to get back on the land.

On our ride back to the ship, we see a field with dozens of eagles hanging on fallen branches. We enjoy a pleasant evening as we cruise down to Ketchikan. 

Today’s tours are about the people of the area, the loggers and homesteaders as well as the indigenous people. We see a lumberjack show and then make our way to Totem park to see the incredible totem carvings. Back in town, we explore Ketchikan.

Sailing off from Ketchikan, we begin the last day of this incredible Alaskan experience. We spend the next day getting ready for our trip home. We enjoy the bright Alaskan sun and know that there is so much more to do here in this amazing place. We dock in Vancouver and head to the airport knowing that we will have a return visit.