There is an abundance of wildlife in Glacier Bay, including 240 species of birds, but our main goal was to see as many glaciers as we could in the five days we had allotted to us. The glaciers shown represent different varieties (there are four), with the first glacier we saw being Casement Glacier, a hanging glacier, no longer to thewater.
Riggs Glacier is just barely tidewater at this point in time. We were not able to drive up to the actual face of this one, as there was a non-motorized zone at the 59th parallel, so this is the shot we could get. It is a huge glacial field, but the snout is shrinking back and soon will be landlocked, like many others.
Margerie Glacier is one of the furthest to reach, but is the prime postcard example. We drove through huge iceberg fields and almost turned back, before managing to navigate our way through and see this stunning sight. This glacier is actively calving, and we saw it break off twice in the half hour we were there, just 1/2 mile off. It is 250 feet tall and a mile wide!
The above photo of Margerie shows the layers of rock and sediment which the ice has dug out in its descent to the sea. Behind the two smiling ice queens, you can see the cleaner portion of Margerie. In spite of the fog that day and the miserable ice conditions, the sky lightened up upon our arrival and Heaven smiled on us for our efforts to see this magnificent place.
Reid Glacier, located at the head of Reid Inlet, is what Alice calls the old Grandpa of the glaciers. It appears to be covered with a solid layer of sediment which has a light brown appearance. Since it is receding rapidly, there is only one place on the snout that still calves... look along the bottom center to see pieces broken off. They were lying on a beach. The whole experience of seeing these and other glaciers in our travels combined to make our trip to Glacier Bay one that we will never forget!
There is an abundance of wildlife in Glacier Bay, including 240 species of birds, but our main goal was to see as many glaciers as we could in the five days we had allotted to us. The glaciers shown represent different varieties (there are four), with the first glacier we saw being Casement Glacier, a hanging glacier, no longer to thewater.
Riggs Glacier is just barely tidewater at this point in time. We were not able to drive up to the actual face of this one, as there was a non-motorized zone at the 59th parallel, so this is the shot we could get. It is a huge glacial field, but the snout is shrinking back and soon will be landlocked, like many others.
Margerie Glacier is one of the furthest to reach, but is the prime postcard example. We drove through huge iceberg fields and almost turned back, before managing to navigate our way through and see this stunning sight. This glacier is actively calving, and we saw it break off twice in the half hour we were there, just 1/2 mile off. It is 250 feet tall and a mile wide!
The above photo of Margerie shows the layers of rock and sediment which the ice has dug out in its descent to the sea. Behind the two smiling ice queens, you can see the cleaner portion of Margerie. In spite of the fog that day and the miserable ice conditions, the sky lightened up upon our arrival and Heaven smiled on us for our efforts to see this magnificent place.
Reid Glacier, located at the head of Reid Inlet, is what Alice calls the old Grandpa of the glaciers. It appears to be covered with a solid layer of sediment which has a light brown appearance. Since it is receding rapidly, there is only one place on the snout that still calves... look along the bottom center to see pieces broken off. They were lying on a beach. The whole experience of seeing these and other glaciers in our travels combined to make our trip to Glacier Bay one that we will never forget!
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