Nothing compares to waking up in Glacier Bay. We rose this morning to a view of towering mountains with cascades of blue ice weaving down their sides and ate breakfast at the faces of Margerie and Grand Pacific glaciers. Large chunks of ice fell into the water in a thunderous crash as we sipped on coffee and cocoa. We then headed south into Johns Hopkins Inlet to view some of the most spectacular scenery in the entire park. Rounding Jaw Point, we were greeted with a full view of the massive Johns Hopkins Glacier, its deep blue face marbled with rocks and debris from the mountain sides. We spent the rest of the morning at its face, listening and watching as more ice calved off to fall over 200 feet into the water with tremendous splashes.
From Johns Hopkins Inlet we made our way east across the bay towards a few wildlife hotspots. On the steep, smooth cliffs of Gloomy Knob we saw mountain goats climbing effortlessly along the gouges carved out by glaciers. Nanny goats lounged atop precarious ledges watching unconcerned as their kids navigated the steep terrain around them. In Tidal Inlet we were lucky to witness a lone black wolf running along the beach. The wolf loped along through tall grass and exposed riverbeds before turning into the trees. We caught brief glimpses of it between trees and as it crossed gravel-choked streams, but it eventually disappeared into the shadows of the dense forest beyond the shore.
At Geikie Inlet we watched a black bear eat an early dinner of barnacles. The large but timid bear used its claws to scratch at the barnacles encrusting the intertidal rocks before licking up the gooey mess. Sea otters dotted the surface of the water, grooming and sleeping. At South Marble Island we spotted a variety of seabirds including colorful tufted puffins. Steller’s sea lions covered the smooth rocks in raucous and pungent groups while a humpback whale blew bubbles against the shore.
When Captain Vancouver first explored these waters in 1794 there was no Glacier Bay; it sat under a few thousand feet of ice. To think that in that short time the glaciers have pulled back and retreated 65 miles to expose this magnificent and stunning landscape. A day spent cruising the vibrant waters of Glacier Bay National Park is a day of fantastic wildlife and incredible scenery in a place of truly grand scale.
