Sunday, June 18, 2023
This morning it is nice and sunny with a temperature of 66 degrees, which would reach 78 degrees by the afternoon. We must take advantage of the sunny days, as it has rained often here in Seward, Alaska.
We had pancakes for breakfast this morning, and got a somewhat late start on our day leaving at around 11:45 a.m. First, we went to Captain Jack's in Seward to buy some fish spices (3 packets @ $2 each).
Then we got a rotisserie chicken bacon foot-long sub to shared for lunch. We then stopped at the Safeway store to pick up a few groceries.
At around 2 p.m., we were on our way to the Exit Glacier Nature Center in the Kenai Fjords National Park.
Once there, and after looking around the visitor center for a few minutes, we took off on a hike along the Glacier Overlook Trail.
The Glacier Overlook Trail (with a length of 1.8 miles and an elevation gain of 330 to 400 feet) wound its way through the cottonwood forest to the Glacier View, providing a panoramic vista of Exit Glacier spilling down the Harding Icefield. The Glacier Overlook Trail then continued on for another 1/2 mile to jaw-dropping views of the glacier and the glacially carved valley. Exit Glacier is one of forty glaciers flowing out of the massive Harding Icefield above Seward, and is easily accessible to most visitors by road and trails.
On the paved Glacier View Trail, we encountered signs with years on them. These signs indicated where the glacier's terminus (or ice) had been in that year, and how fast the retreating of the ice is really happening. On the way in, we drove by the 1889 sign. The year 1917 was the first sign along the trail after we left the Exit Glacier Nature Center.
As the paved Glacier View Trail gave way to the Glacier Overlook Trail, the trail climbed over deglaciated bedrock and brought us closer to the glacier.
Mel wanted to pose in front of the 1951 sign because it was the closest to his birth year of 1959, lol.
Oh well . . . Mel should have waited to pose in front of the 1961 sign, as it actually was closer to his birth year of 1959.
Unfortunately, this glacier is receding rapidly, shrinking more than 2,300 feet since 2004. Even though it may not be as impressive as it once was years ago, it is still a beautiful glacier to view -- as well as a great example of just how much glaciers are changing due to climate changes.
Above is one of the water crossings on the Exit Glacier Overlook Trail, while below is a look at one of the rocky upward portions of the trail.
Below is our first glimpse at Exit Glacier.
I made it to the 2005 sign, but the glacier was still quite far away. Mel climbed a little bit more, but it was becoming more and more challenging.
The graph above shows how the retreating Exit Glacier has become an icon of climate change.
Information board on Exit Glacier -- On the Move.
Mel climbed a little ways further past the 2005 year sign (as you can see the people in the bottom of the picture above). Below are the two pictures he took from the 2010 year sign.
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When Mel joined me back at the 2005 sign, I had him pose for a picture back toward the glacier.
The remainder of the pictures are from our journey along the trail back to the Exit Glacier Nature Center.
Above, Mel is ahead of me on the trail, while below we are now back to the water crossing.
Mel pauses a moment on the bridge before continuing on back to the Exit Glacier Nature Center. The 2.4 mile trail took about two hours to complete as shown below on the Garmin GPS tracker.
Passing by Resurrection River on our way to Seward.
Took a picture of the Alaska train coming into Seward.
We then stopped at the hardware store in Seward for Mel to pick up some fishing equipment.
Tonight we had steaks and salads for dinner.
Monday, June 19, 2023
Another beautiful sunny day in Seward, with the temperature starting at 56 degrees, reaching 70 degrees by the afternoon. What a fabulous day to be heading out on a cruise to see orcas, puffins and stellar sea lions . . . oh my!
We met at the cruise ship harbor beside the 360 Hotel and boarded the "Spirit of Adventure" at 9:30 a.m.
As we boarded, we were assigned a table. We then climbed up to the top level of the cruise ship and took one of the outer seats (a great location to see a 360 degree view).
As the cruise ship pulled out of Resurrection Bay we had marvelous views of the harbor and all the ships tied up at the harbor.
Soon we were making our way out into the Gulf of Alaska.
We enjoyed a very smooth ride through the gulf -- the captain said that it was one of the most smooth, calm waters he had experienced in quite some time.
In the picture above and below you can see the yellow pollen streaks in the water.
It's a little bit hard to see, but if you look closely at the picture below, you can see the sea otter floating by in the middle of the picture.
We soon passed Bear Glacier and No Name Island.
Everyone is anxiously watching to see if they can spot a whale. And one is spotted -- but all I was able to capture was it's fin (see the next few pictures).
Hundreds of birds call Chiswell Island their home (see above and below).
Then we enter Aialik Bay and cruise toward Holgate Glacier.
Our first glimpse of Holgate Glacier. Holgate Glacier is located in the Kenai Fjords National Park. It flows outward from the Harding Icefield toward Holgate Arm of Aialik Bay.
Closeup of Holgate Glacier (above).
Shirley and Mel in front of Holgate Glacier.
Another boat, the Glacier Explorer out viewing the Holgate Glacier.
Now we are leaving Holgate Glacier -- it's still beautiful!
According to the Marine Depth chart on the cruise ship, we are now heading further into the Aialik Bay.
Our first glimpse of Aialik Glacier. Aialik Glacier is the largest glacier in Aialik Bay located in the Kenai Fjords National Park. While fairly stable, this glacier calves most actively in May and June.
Closeup of Aialik Glacier.
Airplane getting ready to take off just after the Aialik Glacier.
Plane taking off (above) and plane in the air (below).
More pictures of the Aialik Glacier.
The crew scooped up a big iceberg and brought it ashore and made margaritas for anyone who wanted to buy one.
We're now leaving Aialik Glacier -- but as I have said before and will say again, it is such a beautiful glacier.
Now as we make our way back, we spot more whales -- the captain says they are finn whales. See the spouts in the picture below.
And the back of the finn whale in the next two pictures below.
And below is the Stellar sea lions haul out.
The 7-1/2 hour Kenai Fjords National Park Cruise was an awesome experience! We saw so many different species of wildlife including orca whales, humpback whales, stellar sea lions, harbor seals, puffins, eagles and many other species of seabirds.
The tour cost us $426.46 for both of us, and included a complimentary deli lunch (turkey or roast beef sandwiches) and chips, a granola bar and raspberry tea. Later in the afternoon, they also provided us a yummy chocolate, chocolate chip brownie.
Some of the highlights during the cruise included:
- Resurrection Bay, which is a fjord on the Kenai Peninsula.
- Kenai Fjords National Park, with the Harding Icefield and glaciers.
- Gulf of Alaska, which is an arm of the Pacific Ocean defined by the curve of the southern coast of Alaska -- stretching from the Alaska Peninsula and Kodiak Island in the west to the Alexander Archipelago in the east, where Glacier Bay and the Inside Passage are found.
- Bear Glacier, which is a piedmont glacier that occurs when a valley glacier spills into relatively flat plains area and spreads out into bulb-like lobes. See the diagram below.
- Holgate Glacier, which is a tidewater glacier that extends out and terminates into the sea. It is also part of a group known as calving glaciers -- as their main method of ice loss is through iceberg calving, instead of surface melt. (See diagram above.)
- Aialik Glacier is also a tidewater glacier. (See diagram above.)
- Aialik Bay, which is a fjord on the Kenai Peninsula of Alaska (also known as Dora Passage between Harbor Island and the Harris Peninsula).
- Chiswell Islands, which is part of the Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge. This group of rocky, uninhabited islands is accessible only by boat or airplane. These islands are an important bird sanctuary. Starfish, barnacles and other sea life thrive on the abundant rocky habitat. The islands are inhabited by millions of marine birds and mammals and is the location of a small rookery of endangered Steller sea lions. Every year millions of birds of various species nest on the refuge islands including horned puffins, black-legged kittiwakes, tufted puffins and various auklets (all shown below).
- Stellar Sea Lion Haul Outs (sites used during non-breeding times).
Above is a picture of a horned puffin.
Above is a picture of a black-legged kittiwake.
Above is a picture of a tufted puffin.
Above is a picture of auklets.
The map above shows the route we took on the cruise starting at Resurrection Bay in Seward, Alaska. What a magnificent trip!
We got off the cruise at 5 p.m. and were back at our camper at 5:45 p.m. We had spaghetti sauce with pork, green peppers and onions over spaghetti for dinner.
Tuesday, June 20, 2023
Today stared out rainy with a temperature of 50 degrees that would get above 54 degrees. Around 11 a.m., we drove into Seward. Mel went into the hardware store to get a 3-day fishing license. We then stopped at Subway and got a foot-long beef teriyaki sub to share. We then went back to the campground and Mel went snag fishing with nine other people from the campground (see pictures below) at around 12:45 p.m. Mel came back at 4:30 p.m. with no fish.
Mel is hoping his luck at fishing will improve soon!
Shirley & Mel
