Tuesday, June 26, 2018

Glaciers! Icebergs! Fjords! (Petersburg, AK to Juneau, AK)


June 14 - June 25

Every night when we set the anchor, I opened my computer and journaled about the day. My notes mostly consisted of sailing details, glacier and iceberg sightings, or cruising logistics. I was prepared to upload it today, but I changed my mind. 

One of the reasons we chose to sail to Alaska was so we could see glaciers. And we did. And they were stunning, gorgeous, magnificent, spectacular. They fit here. They belong here. We are so fortunate to spend so much time with them before they are gone. 

Glaciers are retreating fast. If our niece and nephews (or their children) visit these places in the future, they will not see the same glaciers we did. And that's sad. The glaciers are a relic of our last glacial period sure, but their retreat is also a symbol of how we are slowly destroying our world, the species we share the world with, and ourselves. In an era of such drastic climate change, a blog post about our day-to-day fun just didn't seem right. 

Instead, I’ve tried to limit my commentary. Please enjoy the pictures we took of these beautiful places. These places are worth fighting for. 
        

Thomas Bay (Geey Nana)

Patterson Glacier, on the way to Thomas Bay

Thomas Bay

First sign of ice









Baird Glacier


Endicott Arm


Sumdum Glacier








Ford's Terror








Plenty of fresh water and foraging; we could live here. :)














Tracy Arm


Sumdum Glacier

Unnamed anchorage at the head

Unnamed anchorage at the head











North Sawyer Glacier

North Sawyer Glacier










South Sawyer Glacier







Taku Harbor


Abandoned Cannery Remains











Mendenhall Glacier (Sitaantaagu)


Mendenhall Glacier: from 1950 to 1970, it retreated 69 feet per year. As of 2014, it is retreating around 240 feet per year.

This waterfall ran under the glacier as recent as the early 1980s.


We had seen these signs for quite a while as we hiked out of the glacier area. This one was at about a mile from the place we took the picture below:


Photo courtesy of Juneau.org