Today was a bright, sunny day in Glacier Bay National Park. The Fairweather Mountains were as clear as they can ever be seen, a very unusual sight. The highest peak, Mount Fairweather, rises 15,320 feet directly from sea level. Everywhere we looked there was stunning scenery.
Wildlife was abundant today too. It was a 14-bear day! There were also sea otters, humpback whales, porpoises, harbor seals, Steller sea lions, a large male killer whale, and mountain goats. Interesting birds included tufted puffins, a yellow-billed loon, black-legged kittiwakes, black oystercatchers, pigeon guillemots, and pelagic cormorants. Soaring high were two golden eagles. Some of these animals can be found here year-round; others are ephemeral visitors like us.
Great rivers of ice created the landscape in Glacier Bay National Park and throughout much of Alaska. As we cruised up the bay we noticed the evidence that tells the dramatic and unprecedented story of this area. Just 200 years ago there was no Glacier Bay; it was filled with ice. Now there is a mature spruce forest at the mouth of the bay and the ice has retreated about 65 miles in that time.
Four things contribute to the justification of preserving this special place as a park: human cultural history, tidewater glaciers, the active process of succession, and interstadial tree stumps. These and many other aspects of this beautiful and unique park added to our enjoyment today. Indelible memories were created and our lives have been enriched by the experience.
