Hubbard Glacier

Saturday June 18

When I finished processing the photos and uploading the first set of pictures and journals last night it was about 11:30 pm, Alaska time.....I tell you this because as I went to get into bed it was still light outside! It's one of the things that's quite unique to visiting up here! And when I woke up in the middle of the night, about 4:30 am (Alaska time) it was already light, again! Once we were up for good we headed upstairs to have our morning coffee and to find a table near a picture window. We found a very unique spot with two "portals" cut out of the floor where we could look straight down 11 decks to the ocean flying by underneath our feet. Immediately we both commented that this would be "good practice" for when we are committed to walk across the glass-bottom "Calgary Glacier Skywalk" which extends out over a glacier and not only has glass for the floor, but for the side walls as well - giving the impression you are walking on air over the glacier.....even the YouTube video of it gives me an "uneasy" feeling, but we will do it! But that's still over ten days away! Kim worked out this morning and I worked online as well as roamed the ship. By 11 we were in the theatre to hear the program presentation from the on-board naturalist, Milos Radakovich. Very interesting and entertaining. That ended a little after noon and we headed to the main dining room for lunch. We had told the couple on the train yesterday about how great the lunch salad buffet was....but we discovered today that this is not available on this ship. Disappointing, as was the lunch menu generally. But, speaking of food, we made reservations for Sunday - Father's Day - in the "specialty restaurant," the Tuscan Grille. For those of you who have not cruised, your main dining room is included, but if you want a little something extra and/or special there are smaller restaurants you can book a reservation to and for a price you can dine there. One of the perks to booking this cruise package when we did was it came with a $300 on-board ship credit, so we didn't hesitate to make this reservation! Before posting all the photos from the big event, the trip up to Hubbard Glacier, you might be interested in these facts.......

Hubbard Glacier is the largest tidewater glacier on the North American continent. It is located in both the United States and Canada and stands 11,000 feet above sea level. It stretches some 76 miles from it's source to where we sailed within a half mile of it.....making it also the longest tidewater glacier in Alaska.. The face of the glacier, which we were able to view (and you can see in the panoramic banner at the top of the page) stretches six miles wide! With the issue of global warming glaciers are shrinking, in fact the Mendenhall Glacier we will return to tomorrow has shrunk dramatically - according to Milos - since we were there six years ago with Karrie & Randy. But in stark contrast to other glaciers, the Hubbard Glacier has been growing and advancing! It will close the entrance to the adjoining Russell Fjord (just to the right in the banner photo above) and will create the largest glacier-dammed lake on the North American continent at some point in the not too distant future!

As for our visit, it was just amazing to be that close to not one, but two glaciers. And as the ship made a complete 360 degree turn so both sides could get a full, head-on view, there was quite a bit of "calving" - where the ice breaks off. What is difficult to grasp, even as you look at it live, is that in the photos below the distance from water-level to the top of the glacier is the same distance as four Sears Towers in Chicago stacked on top of one another! And when a "piece of ice" breaks off it crashes into the water with the sound of thunder or an explosion - they were particularly booming today (when the video is posted you have to watch to hear it). This is true because typically the size of the ice falling off is the size of a skyscraper! An amazing afternoon today! By 3:30 pm we were headed out to the open seas and setting a course for tomorrow's destination, Juneau - the capital of Alaska.

Day 2 Video Highlights

Close-Up .... remember, 18 stories from water level to top of glacier

VERY Close-Up / Zoomed In