If you had told me I would pay to watch ice melt, up until recently, I would have thought you were crazy. But then again, you would have needed to present me with all the facts. For instance, this particular icicle is over 1.5 miles wide and 3.5 miles long. And perhaps mentioning that the icicle is actually a glacier that cracks and calves into the ocean below, causing a roar of echoing thunder, would have made me reexamine my initial stance.
As our time in Alaska quickly dwindled, we knew we would leave with regrets if we didn’t book a tour of the Kenai Fjords. (Kenai Fjords is a national park covering almost 700,000 acres of mountains, oceans, and ice fields, located at the edge of Kenai Peninsula in south-central Alaska). After lots of research (per usual) and some debate between a 6 or 8.5-hour tour, I eventually settled on the 8.5-hour which included dinner at Fox Island, through the company Kenai Fjords Tours. Originally, we were scheduled over Memorial Day weekend, but rainy, cold weather forced us to reconsider our plans. Instead, we bumped our dates out by two weeks, crossed our fingers, and checked the extended forecast at least twice a day until the morning of. Much to our delight, the weather turned out to be absolutely beautiful: clear skies, little wind, and a high in the 70’s, created perfect conditions to be on a boat, in the open ocean, for the entire day!
Our excursion began at Seward Harbor as we boarded the Coastal Explorer. Within minutes of being underway, Captain Mike was already narrating about the history of the town, pointing out alpine glaciers, and chatting about potential wildlife sightings. Sure enough, before we even cleared the harbor, Captain spotted a couple of playful sea otters eyeing us as we slowed down for some close-ups.
***It was during this photo-op (5 minutes into the tour) that I leaned my phone over the outside of the railing to snap a few pictures. Dave (being the voice of reason) informed me that it “probably wasn’t smart to have my phone over the railing.” But because I can be stubborn sometimes, I told him, “It’ll be fine”…and in that very moment knocked my phone against the railing, causing it to slip out of my hands, as my stomach simultaneously jumped into my throat. By some miracle, I was able to grab ahold of it before it met a watery grave at the bottom of the harbor. Needless to say, I was more careful the rest of the day.***
For the next few hours we zigzagged between islands, ducked into calm bays, and swayed up and down with the waves of the open ocean. Dall’s porpoises playfully sped alongside the bow, while a humpback whale showed off his spout-blowing talents. Orcas were plentiful as our captain pointed them out on four different occasions, a new record during a single tour, according to him.
While we loved spotting marine and wildlife alike, the absolute highlight of the entire day was Aialik Glacier. Tucked away in a quiet cove, you know you’re getting closer when icebergs start dotting the frigid, blue waters. Icebergs, by definition, are literally big floating ice cubes, composed of fresh water and compact snow, that have broken off from glaciers. Even better, as we neared Aialik, what should we see lounging atop the icebergs, but dozens of harbor seals! The scene truly looked like something straight off an episode of the Discovery Channel!
As the boat’s engines lulled to a stop, everyone aboard quieted with anticipation. Towering in front of us, the magnificence of ancient ice and thousands of snowstorms, dazzled in the sunlight. And then, like a thunderstorm brewing in the distance, a low rumbling could be heard, followed by a series of sharp cracks. Quickly, our eyes searched for the source of the commotion, when all of a sudden huge chunks broke away, shattering into a million pieces. Like watching fireworks on the 4th of July, we “oohed and aahed” as piece by piece plummeted into the icy bay.
***So what causes a glacier to calve? The Aialik Glacier recedes approximately 7 feet each day during the warmer summer months. Some of the ice melts, creating instability, which in turn, causes the breaking, or calving, to occur.***
We then sailed to Chiswell Islands, home to the areas major rookeries of Kittiwake Gulls and Stellar Sea Lions. Thousands of gulls make their nests along the rocky cliffs, looking like bees swarming a hive. Meanwhile, an island over, at the sea lion hangout, four male sea lions strutted their stuff in front of the ladies, barking insults at one another, and threatening to throw hands…I mean… flippers. Of all the animals, Dave and I got the biggest kick out of the horned puffins flying to and fro. They put in such a valiant effort to fly, yet despite flapping their wings as fast as they can, barely get 6 inches off the water. They definitely get an “A” for effort though, and while their flying abilities are lacking, they are excellent swimmers, diving to record depths of 250 feet!
After a long day of breathtaking views, we docked at Fox Island for dinner, before heading back to Seward to disembark. One last surprise sighting solidified Kenai Fjords’ ranking on the “Cunningham-Crew-Must-Do” list as a humpback whale lifted his tail and waved to us “good-night”.
The Cunningham Crew 