Pacific NW

Expeditions

Today we explored Tiger and Chenega tidewater glaciers. Chenega glacier was exceptional. After distinguishing itself from the immense Harding Icefield, the glacier proper consists of 143 square miles of blue ice, flowing rapidly down the mountains to the sea. There was so much calving activity that there was a great, thick field of pack-ice in front of the glacier for several miles. The charts even indicated “floating ice” as a permanent fixture. We were immediately rewarded with a monolithic ice collapsation event that shook the earth and sea. It was a calm and wind-free afternoon, so we pushed our way into the ice pack and cut the engine. In this way we can escape the swirling currents that occur at the glacier faces by lodging the boat in the more stationary ice flow. One particular slab flipped out in such a way as it sent forth a great billowing cloud of ice-dust and giant rolling waves that broke completely over an island that was at the very least 35 feet tall. A similar but smaller event happened nearer the boat. All the ice around us began to churn as the 15 foot waves swept under the boat. Huge icebergs all around us were set into motion, rolling over and exploding with huge cracks, hisses, and bangs. There were perhaps 200 seals that seemed unperturbed by all the activity, and peacefully bobbed up and down on their icebergs in those huge waves. All the new ice disgorged at the glacier face is a vibrant emeral blue. In some places the ice is so blue that it appears almost black. We sat in the ice pack for most of the day, enjoying a spectacular show. Slabs and pillars broke free all day long, constantly, with a deafening roar. The sound of the ice is so large that it is indescribable. Sometimes we could hear the whole glacier groan and boom as it pushes its way to the sea. It generated earthquakes that were readily felt in the boat. Awesome. We spied a NOLS kayaking group on our way to Jackpot Bay. We’re anchored up in a place called “7 Fathom Hole” because all the chart shows is a blue uncharted spot with a 7 written in the middle of it. We took a hike on shore and gained a small ridge with a great view of the sunset. The bugs came out just as the sun dipped below the horizon so we ran down the mountain pretending we were dirt bikes, jumping off ledges and ramps into the soft mosses of the tundra.