This morning we woke up at eight and even though we were still tired from a late night, we wanted to be sure we didn’t miss the sights in Glacier Bay. Wearily, we trudged out of bed and out onto the eighth floor viewing deck. There were a lot of people already there listening to the announcements made by a park ranger explaining the wildlife and facts about the glaciers.The air outside was definitely the coldest we’ve felt on the ship. Even in a jacket, gloves and earmuffs, the sharp wind cut through the ship and caused everyone to shiver. Before too long we cruised through the Tar inlet and arrived at the Margerie Glacier. From the ship, the glacier didn’t look too overwhelming but then we learned just how massive the block of ice. You can’t fully tell from the pictures the size and scope of the glacier which is one mile across and 250 feet high – the height of a 25 story building. You also can’t tell that the Glacier extends for 20 miles.
While we were watching, we were lucky enough to see several large portions of ice that cracked off the glacier and plummeted into the ocean below to become small iceburgs. The park ranger referred to this act as calving.
Eventually, I headed to grab a quick breakfast and a large mug of hot chocolate to warm up. As the ship turned and made its way into the John Hopkins inlet, we saw other wildlife as well. There were several whales and seals out in the frigid waters. Once we reached the end of the inlet, we saw the John Hopkins Glacier, named for the university attended by some of the scientists who studied it.
The last major glacier we passed was the Lamplugh Glacier. On this one, you could really see the blue color shining through. The ice is so compact that it absorbs all the other colors of the light spectrum, leaving only light blue.
We left Glacier Bay a little after lunch time so we headed up to the sushi buffet on the lido deck.
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