DAY SIX
We started the morning by picking up two new passengers, a park ranger and a native Huna Tlingit interpretive naturalist for our first of two days in Glacier Bay National Park. Ranger Kelly gave a brief talk on birds right before we approached South Marble Island, where we saw several species plus Stellar sea lions in the distance. Unfortunately, the morning was quite overcast and drizzly, limiting our time on deck. But we did have two other big sightings today. A humpback whale surfaced for a few seconds about 100 yards off the ship; unfortunately, it didn’t make another appearance. As we coasted along the shore of Icy Strait, we also spotted an enormous brown bear, searching for his breakfast. This moment points out two advantages of small ship cruising. First, you’re able to sail much closer to the shore than large cruise ships. And secondly, the crew can be flexible with the schedule. Once we spotted that bear, the ship stopped and allowed passengers to watch and photograph it for nearly 30 minutes. The larger ships have a schedule to keep and don’t stop for impromptu wildlife spottings.
KidTripster Tip: The park ranger brings the Junior Ranger program to you! Encourage your kids to complete the booklets on board to receive their Junior Ranger badges.
We spent the afternoon in Reid Inlet at the base of Reid Glacier. Groups boarded the DIBs for shore walks. However, the best vantage point to see the glacier was from your own kayak. The size of the glacier can’t fully be appreciated until you’re floating next to it.
In the evening, the ship floated right in front of Margerie Glacier at the very end of Glacier Bay. The face of this glacier is a surprising, one mile in length. Everyone braved the cold, patiently waiting for the glacier to calve. Of course, there are no guarantees with nature, and while a few pieces split off, it unfortunately didn’t calve.
Here’s a sobering fact: Glacier Bay has seen the fastest glacial retreat on record: 65 miles just since 1780.
