Day 9: Hubbard Glacier

The first of two full days at sea dawned as most of those in our two week trip, cloudy and brisk.  But it still afforded dramatic views of the largely uninhabited Alaskan coastline. 

 

 

Our first sightseeing stop was the Hubbard Glacier which is at the back of Yakutat bay.   This area, as most of the Alaska coastline is subject to intense geological activity.  Mount St Elias on the north side of the bay where the Hubbard Glacier originates is over 19,000 feet tall and growing at a rate of 2 inches a year.  In the late 1890s there was a fierce 4-week long earthquake.  Reports of this earthquake and the ensuing Tsunami and landslides brought glaciologists and other scientists including John Muir who traveled and studied this area extensively.

 

 

Hubbard Glacier is 6 miles across at the face and 100s of feet high.  It’s the longest tidewater glacier (which means it empties into the sea) in North America at 76 miles.  Hubbard Glacier empties into what explorers in the 1700s called Disenchantment Bay, so names because they had hoped to find the mythical Northwest Passage at the back of the 16 mile wide inlet but were disenchanted when they found only a wall of ice.

 

We had great viewing from our stateroom balconies.  We all have rooms on the port side (where we were correctly told we would get the best viewing opportunities) and four rooms are next to each other so when you open the connecting doors it makes a nice party space.

 

The sea leading up to the glacier was like a shushie, filled with beautiful mini-icebergs of all sizes.  The ship didn’t seem to have any trouble pushing through them.

 

We spent the rest of the afternoon exploring the ship and looking at the scenery as we made our way back out of the bay.

 

Many of us were celebrating milestone birthdays or anniversaries.  Sue and I chose this night to celebrate our 29th wedding anniversary.  For some reason, Harry got the idea that I was celebrating my birthday every night and had a cake sent to me and the whole grew sing me Happy Birthday.  Mary somehow had the same misunderstanding and had the DJ stop the entire nightclub to sing me happy birthday.  I tell you, I don't know what I would do without friends like that.

 

We ended the night with a few martinis in one of the many nightclubs.