In Search of Glacial Ice

Today Tracy Arm is on the ship's itinerary but it is not to be.  The long arm, or fiord, going up to the glacier is full of ice and impassable for cruise ships.  We are rerouted up nearby Endicott Arm to Dawes Glacier.  

We can hardly believe our luck with this awesome sunny weather!  The trip up to the glacier takes about two hours.  The waterway goes from wide to narrow, to narrower as we wind our way up the fiord....majestic snow capped mountains rise from the sea and soon floating chunks of ice appear.

This has to be.....Santa!....and his sleigh.  You think so too....I know you do!!

Blue ice!  These colorful icebergs are few and far between, but breath taking.

Look who's home this afternoon?  Harbor seal moms find a safe haven for their pups on floating ice.  Where else do you feel a little safe from those clever black and white predators, Orca whales?

Waterfalls tumble down steep mountain hillsides, crashing into the salt water below.  

Snowfields surround the glacial sea water channel.

By noon we are getting to the end of the arm, and the awesome glacier.

The blue wall of ice appears!

Suddenly we hear a loud boom!  The splash in the distance is the result of chunks of ice breaking off (calving) and falling into the sea.

It's hard to understand how old...OLD...this ice is....  It takes 400 years for it to move from the glacial source, or top of the ice field, to the edge of the sea.  

As we turn to leave the glacial wall of ice, we sail past a few more seals settled on icebergs.

Slowly we find our way back to the channel that leads to Juneau.

There are more glaciers tucked up into the hillsides.

Finally the ice fields are behind us.

Time for a nice latte in the Explorations Bar.  Glacial ice, sunshine and warm air....what a spectacular afternoon!