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.
