We took a small boat cruise to the waters around Kenai Fjords National Park on Friday, June 2. It was a six-hour tour that included a dozen stops to see birds and sea life along a chain of islands between the Harding Gateway and the Aialik Bay.
We saw eagles, puffins, and a ton of sea gulls in the air. In the water we had killer whales (orcas) swim right up to the boat for a closer look at us, and enjoyed seeing quite a few humpback whales including one we found flapping his tail on the water.
You can see Ted’s video of the killer whale and tail-flapping humpback whale at this youtube video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JWhC0zJQV3w
Alaska is beautiful with snow covered mountain peaks with every turn of the head. The Kenai Fjords National Park holds the Harding Ice Field which is the largest ice field within the United States. Many glaciers spring forth from the Harding ice field. Our boat tour had the opportunity to pick one of two: The Aialik Glacier and the Holgate Glacier. Since Aialik currently has very large chunks of ice breaking off, it is not safe for small boats to go near it. Holgate is smaller but still massive from our eyes, as the small boat got much closer to the glacier than our cruise ship was able to get the day before. The crew even picked up a piece of floating glacier ice from the water and let everyone look at it’s blue color close-up!
This Holgate Glacier is hundreds of feet tall at the water’s edge and moves downhill between two and six feet each day, so we saw and heard quite a lot of ice calving off the glacier. It has it’s own unique sound – sharp cracks and low rumbles – most of which happens in the ice field above the water.
In talking with a park ranger at the visitor center, he confirmed that the glaciers are rapidly melting at a rate unheard of in previous centuries. He also stated it is without any doubt that it is caused by human carbon emissions.
God’s beauty is still everywhere here in Alaska. Please enjoy these last two pics which will expend to large size if you click on them.
These two pictures took my breath away! I’m so glad you suggested we click on them. The tree on the rock outcropping was miraculous! Beauty in such grandeur! Thank you for sharing your trip and your talent for photography!