August 14, 2013 Wednesday
Day 38

7:00am we met on the docks for our Glacier Bay Boat Tour, an all day excursion through Glacier Bay. It was another bright sunny blue sky day. We enjoyed sightings of several glaciers, icebergs and tons of wildlife, culminating in a long stop at Johns Hopkins Glacier. We got to hear the sounds the glacier makes as it advances -almost like loud thunder. It was thrilling to see chunks of the glacier break off and crash into the water (calving). Our experienced tour guide narrated throughout the tour and we learned so much. We learned that just 300 yeas ago, in the 1700s this area had been all covered by ice; it was all glacier and no bay. Some glaciers are still retreating here and some are advancing. Glacier Bay was formed when the ice melted because as the ice melted, and the weight of the ice was released from the land, the land rose up, sort of like a mattress rises when you get out of bed. The land rose at a rate of 1-2 inches per year. It has risen 12 feet since the late 1700s when the glacier began retreating, and it is still rising. Nowhere in the world is the rate of land rising faster. Interesting.
Some other glaciers we saw in the turquoise, aquamarine waters include Carroll Glacier, Rendu Glacier, Lamplugh Glacier, Reid Glacier, Scidmore Glacier.

Another interesting thing about this tour, there were a couple of stopping points where our boat picked up or dropped off kayaker/campers who had been or were going to kayak and camp in the wilderness. Quite a sight to see them come on board and disembark with kayaks and gear. Cool. This was such a fantastic tour! I have noticed, on this whole trip we are fortunate to be experiencing exceptionally spectacular wonders of nature.

One of the beauties of this trip, I am discovering, is that I have been able to "live in the moment" which is something I strive to do, but am not very good at it. For example, in my Yoga class they always tell you to center yourself, become aware of and enjoy what is right in front of you without the distractions of what happened in the past or will happen in the future. Well, I try, but I find myself thinking of what I am going to do next, what shoes I am going to wear and other such extraneous things that I am unable to just appreciate the beauty of now. But here on this trip, seeing all these wonders it is easy to live in the moment. It's a good thing for me to do, because the moment will never be back.

Wildlife Sightings
Whales
Sea otters swimming on their backs
Sea lions sunning on rocks
Puffins
Murres
Brown bear sunning on shore
Mountain Goat and her kid
Bald eagle on nest
Harbor Porpoises