Sunday, September 12, 2010

Kayak Camping Trip in Glacier Bay #3


After exploring McBride Glacier and the iceberg filled lagoon, four of us paddled hard to the south. Our kayak was gliding smooth in the calm fjord ocean under the beautiful blue sky.

Our second night was on the beach of Goose Cove with a view of Mt. Wright.

We were shocked to discover two good sized holes surrounded by bear prints...the holes were bear's day beds! Wherever we stayed, there were signs of bears in this remote Alaskan wilderness.

The bugs in Alaska were worse than bears. During the sunset, clouds of mosquitoes and flies attacked us... There is a joke that the "Alaskan state bird is a mosquito." (The true Alaskan state bird is the Ptarmigan.)

It was misty the next morning...heavy clouds covered up the entire bay and Mt. Wright as well as the mountains on the other side of the fjord hid under the gray clouds. The misty rain quietly fell all day while we were paddling. We were soaking wet.

The final night of camping was on a small island. It wasn't fun to set up a tent in the rain...this is part of the Southeast Alaskan experience.

It was raining hard the next morning too... We waited for the boat to pick us up in Sebree Island. The boat arrived on time. It was great to sit in the dry warm cabin and use a "real" bathroom. However, I already miss the wilderness experience I just had.

Wednesday, September 1, 2010

Kayak Camping in Glacier Bay #2 - Riggs Glacier and McBride Glacier

It was a mysteriously foggy morning at Riggs Glacier... The white air covered up the canyon in Muir Inlet. What a change from the beautiful sunset!
Slowly that morning, the fog lifted... The white icefall of Riggs Glacier began to show in a white veil. This was the time when mother nature showed me a special moment!

Several streams from the melting water that ran through the mud flat, created abstract natural art.

The fog dissipated under the blue sky. Another clear day in Southeast Alaska.

Paddling south to McBride Glacier. McBride Glacier has been retreating in past decades but it is still actively calving chunks of icebergs into the sea. The lagoon was full of large icebergs that are the size of cars and homes. The white icebergs drifted onto the shore. The landscape was like another planet.