Because we had been going continuously, and as this was a “day at sea,” we slept in a little. During those early hours, the ship had picked up a National Park Service ranger Linda and native interpreter Kevin, at Bartlett Cove, who would provide commentary and guidance on our exploration of Glacier Bay.
Once up (well, at least myself), I headed on deck as we approached South Marble Island. During our approach, sea otters could be seen frolicking in the water, either primping or enjoying a tasty meal.
The rocks of South Marble Island were covered with stellar sea lions. Above and around the rocks, a multitude of seabirds flew around, such as B1ack-legged Kittiwakes, Pelagic Cormorants, Tufted Puffins, and several other birds. Several onboard had also seen humpback whales and harbor porpoises. As we pulled further north from the Marble Islands, the ship headed straight for a cove which had a semi-rocky beach. Several people had their binoculars trained on an object on the beach. Could it be the elusive bear that I had hoped for? Well, not this time. It turned out to be a fairly rare gray wolf. We pulled in very close to watch it watch us. It combed the beach for anything of interest, then returned to its lounging place. After 15 mins, we left, making our way to the glaciers at the end of Glacier Bay. Note: the larger ships would never have done this, even if they were able to.
We then attended a presentation by Park Ranger Linda and native interpreter Kevin. Linda was dramatic when she described the various things we would see and how the park was carved from ice. Kevin explained the native element and the history of his people in the region. He shared touching stories and even shared a song. He also told us that he was planning to go into politics, with one day, becoming Alaska’s first native governor. By the time he finished his presentation, he had over 100 votes from us.
Just before lunch, while cruising closer to the glaciers, we also saw a lone Dahl Sheep on one of the cliffs overlooking the water. That was a first for me, in all my visits to Alaska.
Shortly after a leisurely lunch buffet of pre-made or make your own sandwiches, with cheese and condiments, and a fantastic soup (as always), we started making our final approach to the glaciers. We all headed outside on deck, either at the bow or up one deck on the promenade deck. Either way, there’s not a bad spot onboard ship. The National Park ranger pointed out that we were seeing something that rarely takes place. Above a lining of clouds that diver the glaciers and the sky, we saw the snow-white peak of Mt. Fairweather. Grand Pacific Glacier was in sight in the distance, and as we drifted past a rocky outcrop, Margerie Glacier came into view.
Margerie Glacier is the highlight, the climax to all other glaciers. Or at least, that is what the cruise ship ads & promos would have you believe. Don’t get me wrong, sitting in front of this massive wall of ice is impressive. However, as this was my third visit to this glacier, I was slightly less impressed. My personal favorite is the expansiveness of all the College Fjord glaciers. We did spot several seals resting on top of the many “bergs” that floated in front of the glacier. We sat in front of the wall of ice for about 30 minutes, then slowly retreated as a Princess Cruises ship approached. To get an idea of the size of the front of the glacier, it dwarfs the massive mega-liner. Imagine what it looked like on our ship?
The remainder of the afternoon was time to relax, maybe even snooze. Our guests onbaord ship, the park ranger Linda and native interpreter Kevin, relaxed as well, chatting about Glacier Bay in the lounge.
Just before dinner, we approached Bartlett Cove to drop off our two guests. The ship prepared one of its zodiacs to transport the guests from the ship to port. Most of the passengers made their way to that side of the ship to wave so long was the zodiac pulled away from the ship.
At dinner, we sat with a mother / daughter couple and made small talk throughout dinner. We overheard that the couple, another mother and her eight-year-old daughter, who were stranded on the glacier during a land excursion, got onboard ship at Bartlett Cove and were dining at a nearby table.
The day was filled with exploration and excitement. Instead of attending the presentation this evening, we retired to our cabin immediately after dinner and fell asleep shortly thereafter.
