Don’t Waste Time! Visit the Million-Year Old Glaciers and Wildlife In Kenai Fjord, Alaska

     

     Trina and I embarked on an amazing adventure to go sailing and see glaciers and wildlife in Kenai Fjord, near Seward, Alaska. Glaciers or dense ice that are centuries old, form only on land and are distinct from the much thinner sea ice and lake ice that form on the surface of bodies of water. Glaciers are the biggest sources of fresh water that plants, animals and humans use when other sources may be scant (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glacier). Visit the glacier in Aialik, Kenai Fjord, Alaska and see them melt before your very eyes. The wildlife, specifically, the land and sea animals are also a must-see.

 adventurous-Pinay in front of the ticket office posing with a ‘whale’. 

     We had reservations at the Major Marine Tours (above). Their office was a few steps from our hotel, the Holiday Inn Express. Trina chose the five-hour ‘Kenai Fjord Wild Life Tour’ that began in Seward Harbor. The company brochure describes the tour as follows: “Our half-day cruise travels through the pristine waters of Resurrection Bay for up close encounters with wildlife. The cruise will be guided alongside large bird rookeries and sea lion colonies, making plenty of stops for pictures and to view passing whales and sea otters. You will see several types of glaciers, including the enormous Bear Glacier which is the largest glacier in the Kenai Fjords National Park.” 

Trina waiting at the harbor park.

     The five-hour Kenai Fjord National Park Cruise was scheduled to depart from Seward Boat Harbor at 11:30 am. The ticket price was $134 per person including harbor fee. Photo above shows Trina and other tourists enjoying the vista of the snow-capped mountain and the abundant greenery around the harbor park. 

Trina and I about to board our boat. 

     A few minutes later, we were informed that we could go inside the harbor for boarding. Before embarking on this adventure, we were advised to dress in layers. I did, including sunglasses, cap, and gloves (above R). Trina was used to the Alaskan winter, which could go below 0°C so she did not dress-up as much (above L). The temperature in Seward was about 4° – 10°C.

 MV Glacier Express (background).

     Our boat, the MV Glacier Express (above), travels at approximately 120 miles round-trip through Resurrection Bay into the Kenai Fjords National Park at cruising speed of 26 knots / 29 mph. So, on we went to our Kenai Fjord Cruise. Photo below shows me on the upper exterior deck for a clearer view of Resurrection Bay and the snow-capped mountains of Seward.

Photo During a Cruise of Resurrection Bay, Alaska, USA.

     Wild life. As promised, we were greeted early in our tour by wild life, a sea otter, swimming on its back (below).

Photo of a sea otter.

     Photo below is supposed to be the tail of a humpback whale. But we were not lucky to see it in full splendor during the cruise.

Photo of the tail of  a humpback whale.

     I’m not a bird expert but I think those on the picture below are marbled murrelets or thick-billed murres. 

Photo of marbled murrelets or thick-billed murres.

      Further along are these majestic cliffs and rocks (below). 

     Upon closer view, we found that this rock formation was home to the cutest animals in this adventure, the harbor seals. Photo below shows them relaxing in their chosen spot, usually, rocky areas with a foraging area. The white spots on the rocks are bird droppings.

Photo of harbor seals.

     Simply fascinating is the mountain goat that is able to survive on steep mountains like this (below).

      Glaciers. The Kenai Fjord National Park is home to 38 glaciers fed by the massive Harding Ice field, a giant reservoir of ice perched high atop the Kenai Mountains. A glacier is created when more snow falls than melts (http://www.kenaifjordsglacierlodge.com/glaciers) A dramatic scene unfolded before our very eyes when we witnessed parts of glaciers melting and falling (below).

Photo of melting glaciers.

      As the glacier grows more massive, it becomes increasingly affected by the forces of gravity, which pull the glacier downwards; this slow movement has earned glaciers the nickname "rivers of ice." Like a river, the glacier's flow can carve and reshape the landscape, such as the steep fjords within Kenai Fjords National Park, below (http://www.kenaifjordsglacierlodge.com/glaciers).  

Photo of a "River of Ice".

      Glaciers preserve bits of atmosphere from thousands of years ago in tiny air bubbles, or, deeper within the core, trapped within the ice itself. Past eras can be reconstructed, showing how and why climate changed, and how it might change in the future (http://nsidc.org/cryosphere/glaciers/questions/climate.html).

A staff of our boat scooped up a glacier (L)
for guests to see and touch this centuries-old ice block (R).

     Another plus factor to this Kenai Fjord Cruise is their famous Alaska salmon and prime rib meal served buffet style. We were warned to take a motion-sickness pill 30 minutes before sailing because the waves would be strong when we reach the Gulf of Alaska. I did not take the pill thinking I could bear the rocking movements of the ship. I felt sea sick as warned and was not able to partake much of their delicious meal, for fear of just throwing it all up. But what little I tasted was enough to make me long for that melt-in-the-mouth prime rib meal. Photos below show Trina (R) and me (L) with the US and Alaskan flags hoisted on the exterior deck of the MV Glacier Express.

      This Kenai Fjords Wild Life Tour is a unique and an unforgettable adventure. This must be added to your travel bucket list because the glaciers are amazing resources that are fast melting away. The wild life, the birds, the land-based and sea animals are also a sight to behold. I am so thankful for this cruise because this nature adventure made me appreciate these priceless gifts even more. 

  

How we got there: From Anchorage airport, we drove through the Seward Highway to Seward City where we stayed overnight.