Pacific NW

Expeditions

Independence Day. Though we are living in a political and social dark ages, our nation still has incredible potential to do great justice for humankind. As Mark Twain says, “Loyalty to the Country, always. Loyalty to the government, when it deserves it”. On this particular 4th of July I feel perhaps freer than I have ever felt before, country-wise. The voyage has expanded out my perceptions of time and space. I feel free to blow around and encounter all the wonderful events that I pass by. We are self-sufficient aboard “Silent Partner”, and yet everyone we encounter goes out of their way to help us. On a cloudy morning Justin and I set out to the mighty Columbia Glacier. Justin handed me yet another steaming plate of eggs, and we ate breakfast while drifting amongst a pack of large icebergs. Soon however, the ice pack became impossibly thick. We were only at the moraine bar and still 15 miles from the face of the glacier when we ground to a halt. Strong currents and swirling ice made navigation a joke. This is my third attempt at this glacier, and I was only successful on the first. Over the starboard rail towered a massive iceberg. It was the size of a 4-storey office building, canted on its side, and had a bald eagle perched atop the summit. That sight alone, permanently etched in our minds forever, was enough to satisfy our Columbia Glacier experience as we headed back out into Prince William Sound. Soon the sky lowered and it became very foggy and rainy, almost a whiteout. The huge, odd-shaped icebergs emerging from the mist gave an antarctic quality to the seascape. Off Bligh Reef (where Exxon Valdez was run aground) we spotted several Humpback whales. Justin tossed a few pieces of buffalo sculpin into the water, and immediately a dorsal fin appeared. It sliced through the water, toward the boat. A shark! We could scarely believe our eyes. Just like Hollywood, only a lot cooler. Hundreds of salmon leapt vigorously into the air everywhere. I can’t believe all the salmon out here! For the better part of the day we motored through a foggy calm, all the way to Cordova. In the evening the skies cleared and we had a peaceful sunset on the water. Just before reaching Cordova we celebrated the 4th with popcorn and a beer (cooled by glacier ice) and made it into the harbor by midnight. Several fireworks erupted from the shore, a nice surprise.