Hubbard Glacier

Reboarding the Veendam, we prepare to leave Sitka and head for Hubbard Glacier.

Our captain says the weather is good, and he will come as close as possible.

Yes, the large cruise ships do indeed travel right up near the glaciers.

The ice field looks formidable, but the Veendam heads straight into it.
Thick fog hangs above the glacier like a curtain waiting to descend.

See and hear a brief movie of the Veendam crunching through the ice field.
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An amazing array of color in the ice greets our eyes and camera lenses.

Hubbard Glacier, dead ahead.

The captain stops the Veendam’s engines so we can listen to the glacier.

Hubbard Glacier.

Up close and personal.

After almost an hour, the captain repositions the Veendam, and we head for Seward.

The ice field has closed in behind us, and we must crunch our way through as before.

The channel comes into view, and soon we are back at twenty knots.

This image is from a Holland America Line brochure.
Other than “Alaska,” the location is not identified.

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Aialik Glacier, Kenji Fjords National Park

After landing in Seward, we decide to visit Aialik Glacier aboard the Alaskan Explorer.
Aialik is the largest tidewater glacier in Kenji Fjords National Park.

Faster than the Veendam, the Alaskan Explorer produces an impressive wake.

Aialik Glacier.

No one feels like exploring the dark cave.

Freezing steps seem to suggest an icy climb.

We watch, listen, and wait.

At last a small calving occurs.

Then another. The ice cracks off with a sound like rifle fire.

So much jaggedness; so many colors.

All is quiet.

After a wonderfully enlightening outing, we head back to Seward.