GLACIER BAY NATIONAL PARK

Prior to reaching our last destination of the cruise, we visited Glacier Bay National Park. It was an all day sail from Skagway, Alaska. We woke up to a cool breeze upon opening our balcony door with an AMAZING VIEW! The view consisted of azure colored water, vibrant green mountains, waterfalls cascading down valleys, and magnificent glaciers both high and low: Glaciers were found on top mountains, in valleys, and some creeping out right into the bay itself.

As the ship cruised at a slow speed, we were able to learn and see a lot. Before many passengers woke up, a few Park Rangers came on board to drop some knowledge about the surrounding area. It was basically a continuous informative narrative for half the day which was very beneficial! We were also given a map displaying the route we were traveling.

The sky was overcast and the air had to be at a cool 50 degrees/ 10 celsius (being from Hawaii, this was freezing for us!). What a lovely day!

The ominous nature of the scene had me thinking of one thing: Game of Thrones (if your a fan, you’ll know what I’m talking about!). I was anticipating White Walkers to appear.
Apart from that thought, Mary and I just stared in awe – at one point, after snapping these photos, we just stood on the balcony (cuddled up) and took it all in. It was such a humbling experience.

Margerie Glacier! According to the Rangers on board, the wall of ice stands at 100 feet/30 meters tall and is 21 miles/ 33.7 km long! – This is just the edge. We were privileged enough to even witness a part of it calving off! Unfortunately, our cameras weren’t rolling (remember, we were in awe :D). However, we were told it caused at least a 20 feet splash with a good 5-6ft wave. I think hearing the sounds it made as it collapsed was even more intriguing – nature, almost saying bye to us as we gently sailed away. Irregular thunderous rumblings also came from the direction of the glacier as the ice was shifting, cracking, and moving before us.