Team bonding in front of Meares Glacier. It was tough work, but we finally made it to the face of a glacier. We had been iced out until now this trip. You can see the pure joy in the guests' faces as they posed for this picture.
Today's adventure was one of the guests and crew favorites. We were at Meares Glacier, in northern Prince William Sound, where a massive glacier tumbles out of the tall mountains and flows into the end of a beautiful fjord. It is a rarity among glaciers these days, in that it is one of the few that is currently advancing. It is bulldozing its way through the forest, taking old trees down as it goes. It also dumps an amazing amount of ice into the fjord, which is what made this morning's kayak such an adventure.
Kayaking is always a great way to experience a tidewater glacier, and sometimes you have to pick your way through a little bit of ice, but today was an exception. We had so much ice, that our paddles would just skip across it instead of dipping down in the water. The ice packed in around us the farther we got, but onward we pushed. Sometimes I would look behind and see that I had made a nice path through the ice for the guests. Other times, when I looked, the ice move back in so fast that there was no path at all. Luckily the group was up for the challenge, and they were rewarded with a truly wild, Alaskan experience. These are the days that you remember, and tell stories about, long after getting home.
Once we finally had enough of working hard in the ice, we found a pocket of clear water, and just sat and soaked in the amazing views. Its times like this that it is so hard to believe that we have this place all to ourselves. That is Alaska, still true wilderness to be explored. That can be hard to find these days. When we made it back to the boat, it was hot beverages for all, and a change into bathing suits.... for the polar plunge was next!
Never a dull moment on the Safari Explorer.
Paddling through the ice here at Meares Glacier is a wild, adventurous feat. You can blast right through the small chunks, but you need good navigation to avoid the bigger pieces. They will stop you in your tracks very quickly.
A little drizzle didn't stop my group from kayaking across the fjord to Meares Glacier, a tidewater glacier that calves off giant chunks of ice.
We had been paddling through ice for a while before finally breaking free into this section. It seemed almost too easy after what I put them through.
Always say, 'yes', when asked if you want to kayak in front of a glacier.
Our skiff tour pushed even farther ahead this morning. They enjoyed some really nice calvings when pieces of ice fell a hundred feet off the face of Meares Glacier.
At some points in this morning kayak, we stopped paddling and just took everything in.
The ice started to pack together pretty densely towards the end of our paddle across the fjord. I really made these guys work for it today.
Taking a break from our ice kayaking to take some photos.
This kind of ice was quite easy to make it through. It got thicker though, shortly after.
Kayaking is one of my favorite ways to experience Alaska. This morning, at Meares Glacier, was an absolute blast. We kayaked through so much ice, and made it close enough to watch ice calving off the face of the glacier. Sea otters and seals looked on, as kittiwakes flew overhead. Luckily our rain gear held solid, and the old saying, 'there is no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothing', held true.
Meares is a unique glacier in that it is advancing, bulldozing the forest as it goes.
Meares panorama.
Rain, ice, and rainforest.
The mist hung to the tops of the forest trees as we made our way through acres of ice.
Chris and Alan soaking in the rain, and the views.
Ice, ice and more ice.
Just keep paddling.
Sending out kayakers at Meares Glacier in Prince William Sound.
Me, guiding the morning kayak, ready for some icy adventure.
This seems like true expedition cruising doesn't it. Definitely not your big cruise ship vibe.
As always, keep traveling and keep posting.
