| Alaska, Canadian Rockies In B&W Glacier Bay National Park |
STRANDED ICEBERGS AND THE GRAND PACIFIC GLACIER, 1982
Of all the wondrous aspects that comprise Glacier Bay, it is
the sounds and the profound silence that envelopes the land
in their absence, that leaves the deepest impressions.
McBRIDE GLACIER FROM WHITE THUNDER RIDGE, 1976
Of all the wondrous aspects that comprise Glacier Bay, it is
the sounds and the profound silence that envelopes the land
in their absence, that leaves the deepest impressions.
McBRIDE GLACIER FROM WHITE THUNDER RIDGE, 1976
That first trip in August of 1976, we encountered the gloom the can be Glacier Bay. For 5 consecutive days my wife
and I waited in our tent at the Bartlett Cove campground for the persistent rain and drizzle to end. We walked the mile
from the campground to the only developed part of this immense National Monument over and over. There was a
Ranger Station, boat dock and a small lodge. Thank goodness for the decent restaurant and bar! Finally, we came to
accept the reality that what the Park Ranger had told us on our arrival was coming true, that the rain might not stop.
So we boarded the small tour boat the next morning and set out with our backpacks for our first backcountry
experience in the vast, trailless wilderness that is Glacier Bay, Alaska.
It was still raining as they dropped the small rowboat into the iceberg filled waters of Muir Inlet, just off Wolf Point.
Out of 8 people who had planned to be dropped off we were the only ones to be ferried ashore in the endless rain
that day. A small gravel beach surrounded by tall cliffs greeted us. We quickly climbed up a few hundred feet before
reaching the more gently sloping ground of White Thunder Ridge. A large rainpool with a decent flat area provided a
welcome spot to pitch our tent, in the rain. The distant sound of the tour boat motor faded away and the reality of
having told them to pick us up in 6 days settled over us. No other parties were dropped off during our stay.
We like to think that it was because of our effort and faith that by the next morning the gloom had lifted and the
White source of the Thunder heard repeatedly during the night was visible to us from the Ridge.
and I waited in our tent at the Bartlett Cove campground for the persistent rain and drizzle to end. We walked the mile
from the campground to the only developed part of this immense National Monument over and over. There was a
Ranger Station, boat dock and a small lodge. Thank goodness for the decent restaurant and bar! Finally, we came to
accept the reality that what the Park Ranger had told us on our arrival was coming true, that the rain might not stop.
So we boarded the small tour boat the next morning and set out with our backpacks for our first backcountry
experience in the vast, trailless wilderness that is Glacier Bay, Alaska.
It was still raining as they dropped the small rowboat into the iceberg filled waters of Muir Inlet, just off Wolf Point.
Out of 8 people who had planned to be dropped off we were the only ones to be ferried ashore in the endless rain
that day. A small gravel beach surrounded by tall cliffs greeted us. We quickly climbed up a few hundred feet before
reaching the more gently sloping ground of White Thunder Ridge. A large rainpool with a decent flat area provided a
welcome spot to pitch our tent, in the rain. The distant sound of the tour boat motor faded away and the reality of
having told them to pick us up in 6 days settled over us. No other parties were dropped off during our stay.
We like to think that it was because of our effort and faith that by the next morning the gloom had lifted and the
White source of the Thunder heard repeatedly during the night was visible to us from the Ridge.
KENAI FJORDS NATIONAL PARK
DENALI NATIONAL PARK
CANADIAN ROCKIES
