July 17, 2007
A river of ice
The glacier terminates at the water's edge, but as the ship moved past I could see the rest of it, a river of ice stretching miles, disappearing into the mist at the base of the mountains overlooking Glacier Bay.
Perhaps the highlight of the cruise (aside from our close encounter with the Killer Whales) was the time we spent in Glacier Bay, the Zuiderdam's captain skillfully maneuvering us near the massive ice cliffs, the immense weight of the centuries' accumulation of snow squeezing all the air out, compressing the very structure of the crystals until they absorbed all light, reflecting only blue back at us -- giving the glaciers their distinctive, azure hue.
We were out on the veranda as we entered Glacier Bay, my wife bundled up with a blanket on one of the chairs while I occasionally ducked back into our stateroom to warm up, the temperature dropping rapidly as the wind blew across the ice.
We looked forward along the starboard side of the ship and watched the shoreline glide by, the massive vessel's master swinging the bow to port, revealing the Margerie Glacier bit by bit until the entire, gargantuan ice cliff lay before us.
It's difficult to get a sense of just how massive the glacier is until you have something in view that provides some scale; in this instance, a trawler with some sightseers moved between us and the ice. The face towers 250 feet above the water and extends 100 feet below the surface, stretching a mile along the shoreline.
I took a closer look, zooming in with my camera. The ice contains layers of dirt acquired over the centuries, millennia -- and is scored, pitted, riven with crevasses and caves. I forgot how cold it was, mesmerized by the play of light over the surface, trying to take it all in.
It was magnificent.
Posted by Mike Lief at July 17, 2007 01:26 AM
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Comments
Great pictures! Glad you are having a good trip; it is well deserved.
Posted by: CPT AP at July 17, 2007 03:08 PM