Glacier Bay National Park
Upside down mountains, blue sky, and floating chunks of ice filled our view as we looked downward into the water of Johns Hopkins Inlet. Ten-thousand foot peaks towered above us, and distant glaciers wound down through a raw landscape into the fiord. We picked up the park rangers last evening, so that we could cruise all night to be able to awake at this incredible location.
During breakfast, we made our way to the Grand Pacific Glacier. While admiring that gigantic mass of ice that carved much of Glacier Bay, we spotted two adult brown bears moving along a rock pile. Brown bears are not very social animals and spend time together only as families, young, lonely siblings, or as a mated pair. One was dark and noticeably larger than the other blonder bruin. We had found a courting pair. About a minute after the first two were seen another unassociated bear appeared on a rocky fan. It saw the other two and soon ran out of sight. We watched them walking along for about 30 minutes, frequently stopping to forage. The male sensed us, stood up for better visibility when the above photo was taken, and lumbered off along the beach for a short distance.
We next stopped at the 200’ towering face of Marjorie Glacier. We were so close it appeared the ice could topple onto us. We listened to the rifle-shot like sounds and watched ice cascade down and splash into the bay. Harbor seals were hauled out on floating chunks of ice awaiting the birth of their fat young pups. Black-legged kittiwakes filled the air with their calls.
Our afternoon was spent slowly exploring the many inlets and coves we encountered on the way out. Gloomy Knob and Tidal Inlet produced over 20 mountain goats. A few were close enough to see quite well. Only one had a tiny kid. In Sandy Cove we watched a black bear with a cub born last winter. She fed on sedges and grasses just above the intertidal zone and allowed her youngster to hang on her neck, climb up on her side, and run back and forth between her legs. After a time she lay down to nurse. Our next stop was South Marble Island, a seabird nesting area. There were well over 400 northern sea lions hauled out on the lower rocks of the islands. We watched one nursing a young pup. Black-legged kittiwakes and glaucous-winged gulls flew about noisily, preparing to nest. A humpback whale swam between us and the rocks and caught our attention.
After dinner we took a short hike at Bartlett Cove. Our day was bright and crisp, full of adventures and great experiences. We had time for our souls to catch up to our feet.
Upside down mountains, blue sky, and floating chunks of ice filled our view as we looked downward into the water of Johns Hopkins Inlet. Ten-thousand foot peaks towered above us, and distant glaciers wound down through a raw landscape into the fiord. We picked up the park rangers last evening, so that we could cruise all night to be able to awake at this incredible location.
During breakfast, we made our way to the Grand Pacific Glacier. While admiring that gigantic mass of ice that carved much of Glacier Bay, we spotted two adult brown bears moving along a rock pile. Brown bears are not very social animals and spend time together only as families, young, lonely siblings, or as a mated pair. One was dark and noticeably larger than the other blonder bruin. We had found a courting pair. About a minute after the first two were seen another unassociated bear appeared on a rocky fan. It saw the other two and soon ran out of sight. We watched them walking along for about 30 minutes, frequently stopping to forage. The male sensed us, stood up for better visibility when the above photo was taken, and lumbered off along the beach for a short distance.
We next stopped at the 200’ towering face of Marjorie Glacier. We were so close it appeared the ice could topple onto us. We listened to the rifle-shot like sounds and watched ice cascade down and splash into the bay. Harbor seals were hauled out on floating chunks of ice awaiting the birth of their fat young pups. Black-legged kittiwakes filled the air with their calls.
Our afternoon was spent slowly exploring the many inlets and coves we encountered on the way out. Gloomy Knob and Tidal Inlet produced over 20 mountain goats. A few were close enough to see quite well. Only one had a tiny kid. In Sandy Cove we watched a black bear with a cub born last winter. She fed on sedges and grasses just above the intertidal zone and allowed her youngster to hang on her neck, climb up on her side, and run back and forth between her legs. After a time she lay down to nurse. Our next stop was South Marble Island, a seabird nesting area. There were well over 400 northern sea lions hauled out on the lower rocks of the islands. We watched one nursing a young pup. Black-legged kittiwakes and glaucous-winged gulls flew about noisily, preparing to nest. A humpback whale swam between us and the rocks and caught our attention.
After dinner we took a short hike at Bartlett Cove. Our day was bright and crisp, full of adventures and great experiences. We had time for our souls to catch up to our feet.
