Glacier Bay, Alaska - June 10-17, 2007
Submitted by Barb Decker
Eleven of us on different flights left Michigan. Our destination was Juneau, and as we arrived, the views were spectacular. We later left Juneau in a small plane to Gustavas. There was a whole hour of fantastic views. It took two flights, so the first group had a couple hours to wait before we were all together. It was amazing we all ended up in Gustavas with no hiccups.
Our cabins were on Fairweather Golf Course which sure did not look like the groomed course we are used to in Michigan. Looking out of our cabin windows it was flat for miles and on the horizon were snow-capped peaks. We had two one-room cabins which were very basic.
We walked down to the beach area that had a very long pier. The tide was down 10-15 feet so the pier looked strange standing so high above the water. We walked the shore for a ways, checking out different shells and anemones. We watched several bald eagles eating large fish on the shore. As the tide was coming in one eagle kept having to use its tines and drag the big fish farther up on shore. It was fascinating to watch the eagle work so hard to drag this huge fish again and again.
Some of the beautiful flowers in the fields of the golf course were lupines, shooting stars and chocolate lilies. We had one more day at the golf course cabins, so we walked into town. There was an old gas station that is a popular photo. We passed a park and the guys played a game of horseshoes. We met a lady who has a dog sledding business; she explained dog sledding and we were able to pet some of the dogs.
We also stopped by a fish packing store and bought fish to put on the grill for supper. They also had excellent smoked fish. Other specialty shops of copper, pottery, paintings, and one guy made masks out of natural materials; all were one of a kind. The grilled fish dinner was yummy, and we kept the grill going which doubled as our campfire for the evening.
Early the next morning a taxi took us to Barlett Cove where our boat, Sea Wolf, was waiting in the cove. Attached to the dock supports were Sunflower Stars and Black Katy’s . The skiff came to the dock and loaded our gear to motor us to the Sea Wolf, which is a retired 1941 minesweeper. After meeting the crew and doing the safety talk we started motoring into Glacier Bay. We anchored in Sundew Bay, loaded into the kayaks and paddled up Hugh Miller Inlet into Weird Bay and back to Sea Wolf. We encountered Black Scoter, Black Oyster Catchers, Harlequin Ducks, Harbor Porpoise and Steller Seals.
Our first supper was Dungeness Crab which they had caught earlier in Barlett Cove. The next morning Sea Wolf motored to Tidal Inlet; there were tall waterfalls everywhere. The waterfalls are far away up on the hillsides but we could still hear the roar of the water. We loaded in kayaks and paddled up the inlet enjoying the shoreline. We watched a brown bear for while; they were beautiful in color. We stopped at a place where flowers grow that are usual for the area, paddling through bull kelp and by a nesting area of Black legged Kittiwakes. When an eagle flew by hundreds of Kittiwakes took flight off the cliffs; it was quite a sight.
Along the steep rocky area we watched mountain goats walk along the rock edges with absolutely no problem. We experienced some choppy water before arriving back to Sea Wolf for lunch. As we ate lunch the Sea Wolf motored to Tarr Inlet; we got back into kayaks and paddled amongst the icebergs. Near Margerie Glacier the noise the caving made was a loud deep thunder. The ice chunks in the water made snapping and popping noises. As an iceberg near us rolled over it was an eerie feeling because the piece under the water was much larger than the above-surface ice.
Returning back to Sea Wolf we spotted a couple puffins. We could also hear the Grand Pacific Glacier caving. After supper we motored to Reid Glacier to anchor for the night. Next morning the skiff took us ashore to explore the glacier up close. We walked around a maze of blue-colored ice boulders larger than houses. We walked the rocky ridge along the glacier edge which was at one time covered by ice.
After lunch the Sea Wolf motored to Sandy Point and we paddled around Puffin Island. During our paddle we watched a mama black bear and her two cubs on the shore; one was black and the other was brown. It was fun watching the cubs chase and tumble. We also startled a young moose. There was a variety of sea stars clinging in different shapes to the rock.
The next day Sea Wolf circled South Marbel Island a couple times; this is the home of hundreds of Steller seals. It was a sight to see; the males were huge. Then we were on to Bay of Dundas. Along the way we watched humpback whales surface all around the boat. They identify them by the different markings on their tails. We had a couple come next to the boat; what a treat!
We loaded into the kayaks at the mouth of Dundas; we were to meet up with the boat at the end of the bay. We paddled up a small river to a waterfall; as the rain was falling we made our way along the shoreline to the boat. The area was surrounded by gorgeous rocky peaks with fog hanging in the valleys. There was a female wolf with a litter in the area so we all together tried to howl to see if they would return the call. I’m not sure if we sounded much like a pack of howling wolfs.
We had an earlier start the next morning as the captain was concerned because there was a front coming. We were going to pass through an area they call the “laundry chute.” It is part of the Icy Straits that can get rough, so we went ashore early for the marsh flower walk. We were checking out Butter clams and Sun Dews as a marmot sat on a rock looking us over.
After crossing the straits we tucked between islands past Elfin Cove and then anchored. The skiff took us ashore to George Island. There we learned that if the end of bull kelp is cut off, you can blow through it and make a horn noise. The group scanned the tide pools finding porcelain crabs, six-arm sea star’s, banana slug, and touching anemones. We had the chance to taste a limpet; it was chewy but not much taste.
We ended up back at the beach resting in the sun for awhile. Back on the Sea Wolf we motored to Idaho Inlet to anchor for the night. Tall mountains were all around us. We paddled to a marshy area and saw several otters and two brown bears. For our last dinner on the boat we dressed as pirates; we sure had a lot of laughs goofing around as pirates. Everyone looked great as pirates, but Bob dressed as a wench was extremely entertaining.
We did a morning paddle before heading back to Gustavas. We saw a deer and another brown bear. As we motored back we saw several humpbacks breach; what an amazing sight! Also to our delight a pod of Orcas came along side of us....priceless. We were able to watch them for a long time; they had a couple young ones with them. The white area on the young is a pinkish color.
It rained while crossing the Icy Straits and the boat was rocking and rolling with the waves. The water was too rough to dock at the pier by Fairview Golf course, so we docked back at Barllett Cove. After saying goodbye to the crew on the Sea Wolf, we checked out the bookstore and museum in the lodge. There was a bull moose spotted which sparked our interest, but he seemed bored with us. We took a taxi back to Fairview Golf course and spent our last evening in Gustavus around the weber grill campfire reminiscing the last seven days.
Seeing Glacier Bay aboard the Sea Wolf was awesome, and the crew top notch. Kimber’s knowledge of the area was fantastic. All the meals our chef Barb served were excellent; it would be hard to say which one I liked best. The Glacier Bay trip on the Sea Wolf was definitely a four star adventure.