After my near all nighter and a couple hours of sleep, it was time to head south to Seward, Alaska. I had heard that this drive along appropriately titled Seward Highway is one of the most beautiful I will ever take in my life. So I wanted to really take my time and make lots of stops along the way.
I was hoping for a bright sunny day to enjoy the scenery. Instead I got clouds, fog, and some snow. But something about getting snow in Alaska just felt right, so I didn’t mind.
Potter Marsh
After picking up my pick up truck, I was off. My first stop was right outside of Anchorage back at the place we had been photographing the lunar eclipse the night before, Potter Marsh. Potter Marsh is a bird sanctuary with boardwalks meandering through a wetland. I didn’t see many birds, but I enjoyed the scenery.
Turnagain Arm
I made several other stops on the drive south to take in the views of Turnagain Arm, glacial lakes, and other beautiful vistas.
Exit Glacier, Kenai Fjords National Park
Before I reached Seward, I visited my 59th National Park Site with a visit to Exit Glacier in Kenai Fjords National Park. Exit Glacier is the only part of Kenai Fjords accessible by land. After the turn off on Seward Highway, I expected to see the glacier at anytime, but in reality I had to drive about 10 miles along what I thought was a river, but I now know it to be a glacial runoff stream. Soon, across that stream, I saw my first glacier!
After a short walk from the parking lot, I found myself overlooking the Exit Glacier. It was unlike anything I had ever seen. Glaciers are HUGE! Up close it looked like marshmallow fluff with blue raspberry syrup mixed in. The blue color is there because the structure of a glacier reflects blue light. I really wanted to walk on the glacier, but you’re not allowed to do that. Glaciers are constantly moving and cracks, otherwise known as crevasses, form. Clearly a stroll on a glacier is not something I should do.
I still wanted to touch it. I wanted to know what it felt like. How dense is a glacier? Does it just feel like densely packed snow? That’s what it is. A glacier forms when more snow falls in a year than melts. It piles up and piles up and the snowflakes at the bottom are compressed into crystals known as firn before becoming glacial ice.
Exit Glacier is one of several glaciers stemming from what is known as the Harding Ice Field. The Harding Ice Field easily gets more snow per year than what melts. In fact it can get up to 70 feet of snow. Yes, you read that right. FEET. 70 feet of snow per year. So stop complaining about your winter…
I found a path into the outwash basin (home of the same glacial run off stream I could see from the road) and wanted to walk to the edge of the glacier, known as the toe of the glacier. However, it was getting dark and the few people I saw at the Exit Glacier overlook were leaving. I decided that walking a stream bank alone, in the dark, in a place with rapidly changing weather patterns wouldn’t be my best move. So I headed for Seward.
Seward
It’s amazing how a typically charming town looks sketchy on a dark and rainy night, but that was my first impression of Seward. I found my hotel but drove around looking for a place to eat dinner. I finally decided to just head to the supermarket then back to the hotel for a dinner of cup-o-noodles and a Lunchable. Yes, I promise I’m an adult despite my eating habits.
Kenai Fjords National Park Wildlife Sightseeing Tour
The next day I had a wildlife sightseeing tour with Major Marine. I was excited to see some wildlife, but I kept my excitement in check because it was a three hour cruise. I’ve heard this story before.
I arrived early for the tour, so I hung out in the port area watching a sea otter swim and eat. This little guy was crunching those shells loud!
Unfortunately, I didn’t see any whales on my cruise, but I did see sea lions and bald eagles.
We came close the other side of Kenai Fjords National Park where we could see icebergs floating in the water. The glaciers here also are formed from Harding Ice Field. These icebergs are actually chunks of glacier that fell off, or calved from, the toe.
This wasn’t the picturesque Alaskan cruise you see on commercials. It was rainy and cold. I stayed outside the entire time, but had to kneel on the deck to get out of the wind. I had on at least five top layers, two pairs of socks, two pairs of pants, and chemical handwarmers in my pockets.
At one point I needed to change my camera battery so I headed inside to do it someplace dry. As I was walking in I considered staying inside for a bit to get warm, but when I got inside many people were seasick with their heads down the the tables. It was sad in there. Back out into the elements I went. Good to know I’ve still got my sea legs!
Alaska SeaLife Center
When the tour was over I dashed back to the hotel room for all new layers before heading to the SeaLife Center – a public aquarium and marine rehabilitation facility. Since I hadn’t seen enough wildlife on my tour, it was time to pay them a visit. I had less than an hour before they closed, but I made the most of it. Seeing the puffins was my favorite because it was too late in the year to see them in the wild.
I wanted to try the brewery next door for dinner, but after I walked through the rain I discovered them closed for the season. Ah the joys of off season travel. The trip is cheaper overall, but not everything is available. The restaurant next to my hotel looked less sketchy in the daylight so I headed over for some soup and a sampler of Alaskan beers.
Return to Exit Glacier
The next morning I watched the sea otters swim in the harbor from my hotel room. Soon I was on the road to Talkeetna, north of Anchorage. Before I left I wanted one last chance to touch a glacier.
Even though it was still raining I headed into the outwash basin at Exit Glacier. The full day of rain had risen the water level substantially from my previous visit. I was alone and didn’t knowing what I was getting myself into, so I turned back. I was disappointed, but as Ellen Griswold said in Christmas Vacation, “I don’t want to spend the holidays dead.” That was my mantra on this trip. Have a good time, be adventurous, push yourself, but come home alive.
Now it’s your turn. What adventures will you have?
Keep Reading
Alaskan Mis-Adventures – Tony Knowles Coastal Trail and Anchorage by bike
Alaskan Night to Remember – Photographing the Blood Moon, Lunar Eclipse, and the Aurora Borealis
Trip to Talkeetna – The drive north, the Iditarod, and the town of Talkeetna
Denali National Park – My first steps into Denali
Denali Flightsee – A look at Denali National Park from above
Independence Mine State Park – a quick look through an abandoned gold mine
