May 28 - Glacier Bay

The Volendam sailed into Glacier Bay early on the morning of the fifth day of our cruise. The first thing I noticed as we moved further into the bay was that the ship’s engines had slowed down and the water became calmer. Then as Shirley and I strolled around the promenade deck, she pointed out chunks of ice floating in the water. Gradually, the Volendam drew closer to the shore and finally as we reached the end of the fjord I could see and hear the glacier. The Margerie Glacier was calving.

The foot of the glacier appeared as a tall, wide sheet of ice and snow.  While this was spectacular in itself, for me, it was the sound that really caught my attention. Every so often there would be a resounding crack and chunks of ice would fall away from the main sheet. Sometimes these would rumble down from nearer the top and at other times the ice would separate into smaller boulders and tumble into the water of the bay. I was surprised at how close the ship was able to come to the shore but the captain announced that we were still in 600 feet of water. Although I didn’t see any wildlife, others commented that they could see sea otters and an occasional bear.

I have attached three pictures with this post. They show the glacier from different angles.  In the third picture, I am standing in the foreground. I am wearing a winter jacket and a toque. It was the only time during our cruise that I felt the necessity for both. It was definitely chilly! 

The Margerie Glacier angle 1

The Margerie Glacier angle 2

The Margerie Glacier angle with Sue in the foreground