luluGlacier Bay…..a land reborn, a world returning to life, a living lesson in resilience.
I’m not sure what I most wanted to experience on this trip, but each new thing provided a special thrill, none more so than the glaciers. It is said there are more than 1,000 in Alaska continually retreating and advancing, often creating changes to their environment.
Whatever is seen at sea level is only a portion of the glacier which is likely to have originated some distance away and higher on the mountain.
The visible portion may not look large from a distance, but do not be deceived. It is likely to be hundreds of feet tall and more than a half mile wide.
Much of a glacier appears to be some shade of icy blue which I learned is a function of density and the way light is reflected.
The more color the denser the ice meaning that it contains very little air.
Sometimes a glacier has dirty looking areas resulting from mudslides that leave behind dirt that gets locked in the ice.
On occasion there is a loud crack followed by a chunk of ice breaking off and becoming an iceberg only 10% of which is visible above the water. These lovely pieces of floating ice can be very dangerous as the Titanic sadly experienced.
Though spotted in other areas, Glacier Bay is glacier heaven. There are hundreds of glaciers here most of which form in the Fairweather Mountains where snow builds up over the years and becomes ice. This one, that from a distance looks like a cloud, is Grand Pacific Glacier and stretches some 24 miles from the Canadian border to Glacier Bay.
Even with climate change being a concern, as long as snow keeps falling on the mountains it will be a long time before the glaciers disappear.
i so appreciate your visit and the comments you leave behind
Each year during the holidays we return to Maine for a taste of winter. A few days is generally enough to tell us we are happy not to have to endure more. There is something good to be said about winter in Houston.
The schooners that sail Penobscot Bay all summer were bound in shrink wrap to protect them from winter weather.
Some brave soul had braved the cold long enough to shimmy up the mast to top it with a tree.
The schooner was not the only thing to sport a tree. So did the fuel dock at Rockport Marine where we fill Pipe Dreams with diesel to keep her running on our summer boating adventures.
It was so cold that the harbor was partially frozen, a sight not often seen.
The ice locked in place the few lobster boats that remained in the water.
With the temperatures well below freezing, sea smoke floated across the water, a sight full of mystery and beauty.
Snow made the landscape a winter wonderland.
With their wooly coats, sheep seemed able to bear the cold but they stayed close to the barn since the snow in the pasture was too deep for them to frolic
Yes, these are visions of winter, but this holiday was foiled by an Arctic blast with temperatures so cold outside as to be almost unbearable for more than a few minutes. To make matters worse, the heat in our house was not working properly meaning that we stayed bundled up and spent most of our time in front of the fireplace. We stood it for two days before the hubby decided he’d had enough of 40 degree temps in the house. Though weather foiled our stay, it was long enough to capture some of the season’s magic and gave us yet another memory of the time we spend in Maine.
