Glacier Bay
Red sky at night, sailors delight! Our previous night’s sunset was spectacular with rays of red light spreading from the west behind the Fairweather mountain range. Just after midnight the Sea Lion began making her way up Tarr Inlet heading for the northwestern corner of Glacier Bay National Park. Our park ranger David De Yette was already on board as the Sea Lion continued her night passage 65 miles north by northwest heading for an early wake up call in front of Margerie and Grand Pacific glaciers. David would bring his years of experience as a national park ranger and love of the area adding perspective to the interpretation of this 3.3 million acre national park.
Glacier Bay National Park was designated a national monument in 1925. The purpose was to protect and preserve a glacier environment along with its ever-changing plant communities for public enjoyment and scientific study. Expanded several times, Glacier Bay was redesignated a national park and preserve in 1980. Between 1986 and 1992 the park became a Biosphere Reserve and UNESCO Heritage site, giving the park international status with emphasis on natural and cultural areas. The international community values the uniqueness of this dynamic natural landscape and considers the protection of Glacier Bay National Park of the utmost importance for future generations.
At approximately 6:45am the sun rose over the eastern side of Tarr Inlet. The top of Margerie Glacier was glistening in the early morning light. Long shadows, common at this latitude in late summer, created an eerie and yet gorgeous landscape to behold. A day of sun in Glacier Bay marked our good fortune once again. Our park ranger began his discussion of this unique and extraordinary national park leading us through the naming of locations, the geology and the significance of the retreat of Grand Pacific glacier, which created Tarr Inlet, the waterway we would be traveling through for the remainder of the day.
During breakfast, the Sea Lion made her way just slightly south down Tarr Inlet, passing Lamplugh Glacier and headed towards Jaw point, and true to its name we rounded this small outcropping and our jaws dropped at the sight of Johns Hopkins Glacier. The fjord stretched five miles ahead of us, with a tidewater glacier moving from its 200 foot face up, as a solid river of ice, into the Fairweather mountain range. In places those mountains exceeded 12,000 feet in height, jagged and fierce, and completely visible on this rare, sunny day in Glacier Bay National Park.
As the Sea Lion began her slow passage down bay, our natural history staff kept a watchful eye finding brown bears, mountain goats, marmots and many, many sea birds. Tufted puffins skirted the waters nervously near Gloomy Knob, while pacific and red throated loons decorated the waters of Geikie Inlet.
Late in the afternoon a gray wolf was spotted walking the shoreline at the far end of Geikie Inlet, rousing a group of surf scoters who cautiously moved away, keeping a wary eye on an obvious predator. The sun remained with us for the entire day and at sunset we set out on a hike in Bartlett Cove in the last light of the day. To the west the sun was setting over the Fairweather mountains as the golden light at the end of the day cast its last shadow and warmth on a day filled with visual feasts.
Red sky at night, sailors delight! Our previous night’s sunset was spectacular with rays of red light spreading from the west behind the Fairweather mountain range. Just after midnight the Sea Lion began making her way up Tarr Inlet heading for the northwestern corner of Glacier Bay National Park. Our park ranger David De Yette was already on board as the Sea Lion continued her night passage 65 miles north by northwest heading for an early wake up call in front of Margerie and Grand Pacific glaciers. David would bring his years of experience as a national park ranger and love of the area adding perspective to the interpretation of this 3.3 million acre national park.
Glacier Bay National Park was designated a national monument in 1925. The purpose was to protect and preserve a glacier environment along with its ever-changing plant communities for public enjoyment and scientific study. Expanded several times, Glacier Bay was redesignated a national park and preserve in 1980. Between 1986 and 1992 the park became a Biosphere Reserve and UNESCO Heritage site, giving the park international status with emphasis on natural and cultural areas. The international community values the uniqueness of this dynamic natural landscape and considers the protection of Glacier Bay National Park of the utmost importance for future generations.
At approximately 6:45am the sun rose over the eastern side of Tarr Inlet. The top of Margerie Glacier was glistening in the early morning light. Long shadows, common at this latitude in late summer, created an eerie and yet gorgeous landscape to behold. A day of sun in Glacier Bay marked our good fortune once again. Our park ranger began his discussion of this unique and extraordinary national park leading us through the naming of locations, the geology and the significance of the retreat of Grand Pacific glacier, which created Tarr Inlet, the waterway we would be traveling through for the remainder of the day.
During breakfast, the Sea Lion made her way just slightly south down Tarr Inlet, passing Lamplugh Glacier and headed towards Jaw point, and true to its name we rounded this small outcropping and our jaws dropped at the sight of Johns Hopkins Glacier. The fjord stretched five miles ahead of us, with a tidewater glacier moving from its 200 foot face up, as a solid river of ice, into the Fairweather mountain range. In places those mountains exceeded 12,000 feet in height, jagged and fierce, and completely visible on this rare, sunny day in Glacier Bay National Park.
As the Sea Lion began her slow passage down bay, our natural history staff kept a watchful eye finding brown bears, mountain goats, marmots and many, many sea birds. Tufted puffins skirted the waters nervously near Gloomy Knob, while pacific and red throated loons decorated the waters of Geikie Inlet.
Late in the afternoon a gray wolf was spotted walking the shoreline at the far end of Geikie Inlet, rousing a group of surf scoters who cautiously moved away, keeping a wary eye on an obvious predator. The sun remained with us for the entire day and at sunset we set out on a hike in Bartlett Cove in the last light of the day. To the west the sun was setting over the Fairweather mountains as the golden light at the end of the day cast its last shadow and warmth on a day filled with visual feasts.
