#45 – South Sandy Cove, John Muir Glacier, to North Sandy Cove Glacier Bay

Today we plan to see three Glaciers: the McBride, the Riggs and the Muir. It'll be a full 8-hour day, up and then down Muir Inlet to about 100 yards away in “North” Sandy Cove anchorage. Our new crew is hyper, well as hyper as us 60+ year olds get! Chuck has un-crated his 3-foot zoom lens. Vince has been reading the instruction book and practicing with his new Canon EOS super camera. And all this is a good thing too, as Alex's Canon SD750 just bit the dust with the dreaded, and all too common, “Lens Error, Restart Camera” message. This $200 camera is dead and after two years of heavy photoing for this Blog, we will now be forced to rely on an upscale Nikon $6,000 body with $30,000 zoom lens, or the Canon EOS as backup. We are always making sacrifices aboard the Wild Blue.

To occupy our time before the first glacier viewing, Vince “Mr. Fix-it” Fonte dismantles the dead Canon SD750 in hopes of a resurrection. Vince, builder of BIG buildings, versus the tiny Canon. He even used the jeweler's screwdriver set. Alex's camera was returned in a plastic bag of many pieces, and it was equally functional as before. Oh well.

Our route up and down Muir Inlet. John would be proud of us!

After a couple hours we came to the McBride Glacier. It has receded from the water to having its face, or terminus, on land. But somehow a river of glacier water moves big blocks of its ice into Muir Inlet. Some of this ice takes on strange, lifelike shapes.

McBride Glacier up close from afar.

Lifelike shaped ice from the glacier.

Riggs Glacier was muddy on the face, and recessed aways from the inlet. It wasn't that picturesque today. Beyond Riggs it was another hour to the Muir Glacier. The inlet walls are mostly treeless, barren and milky-aqua glacier color. Finally, we make out the John Muir glacier, which has also recessed far beyond waters edge, with only small, muddy chunks ice making it to the water.

The barren walls and milky-aqua water of Muir Inlet above Riggs Glacier.

John Muir has his own Glacier. We Californians thought he just had a trail.

After lingering a bit at Muir's namesake, we retreated down the inlet, with a photo to show for it. With plenty of clean ice chunks available, we decide to harvest these “bergie” bits for the cooler.

Here comes a suitable piece of glacier ice.

This one is too large for ice collection apparatus (patent pending).

Later that day, in North Sandy Cove, the crew of the Wild Blue enjoyed a Glacier Bay tradition: 15 over 15,000, and variations. That's 15-year old whiskey over 15,000-year old ice; 3-year old Petit Sarah over 15,000-year old ice; 6-month old White Zinfandel (aka wimp wine) over 15,000-year old ice; and finally, filtered water over 15,000-year old ice. What a day!

Glacier Bay tradition.

Vince leads the traditional toast.

#44 – Bartlett Cove South Sandy Cove

Late this afternoon, Pat arrived with the Fontes and Frenchs in tow. They met in the Seattle Airport and rode Alaska Air to Glacier Bay together. We dined at the Lodge, loaded luggage, then left for South Sandy Cove anchorage about 2 hours up Glacier Bay.

The route takes you directly through the “whale zone area”. This area extends from just outside Glacier Bay entrance to about 6 miles up the Bay. Special rules apply to boats transiting the Whale Area: speed less than 13 knots, maintain 1-mile offshore or center channel, and stop for whales crossing boats path. Fines will be levied for violators, and later we noted a Park Patrol boat monitoring the traffic. The rules are designed to prevent collisions between whales, mostly humpbacks, and boats. We had no close calls.

This whale waved his tail at us, as if saying “Keep away!”

Our route through the “Whale Zone” to South Sandy Cove.

Although we arrived at the Cove by 10PM it was still quite daylight. We anchored, night capped and retired.

#43 – Hoonah to Bartlett Cove, Glacier Bay

It's a 3-hour run over to Glacier Bay's Bartlett Cove. The Cove is the headquarters for Glacier Bay National Park access and our crew exchange point via Gustavus airport, serviced by Alaska Air 737s in summer. The crew leaves for the airport at 4PM and they want to look around the park lodge first.

We slept in and eventually got going around 10AM. The washing machines and vacuum cleaner were buzzing all the way to Bartlet Cove as the outgoing crew prepared for the incoming crew. Just as we reached Point Gustavus we called Bartlett Cove on VHF 16 for authorization to enter the Park. After a brief “whale” navigation rules review, we proceeded onward to the Cove.

We temporarily docked at the Park float, unloaded bags and 50 pounds of frozen fish, then anchored the Wild Blue in the Cove and used the tender to get us back to the dock. Alex had to take a refresher course for private boat usage of the Park. Once again he passed the entrance exam.

At 4PM a bus arrived at the Lodge and the Semonsens and Ages loaded bags and fish for the 2-day trek, via Juneau, Seattle, San Jose to Los Osos. Well at least they won't go hungry, as they can thaw a bag of fish for near fresh Alaska sushi!

#42 – Dundas Bay to Hoonah

At 6AM we stuck our nose outside Dundas Bay to get cell service. We needed to contact Glacier Bay National Park to confirm our entry permit, allowing the boat to anchor in Bartlett Cove for crew transfer. The cell came to life just as we entered Icy Strait and we confirmed our permit. Our permit started tomorrow, so we had to remain outside the park until then. Hoonah seemed the closest port with supplies and internet and we decided that would be today's goal.

Then we motored close to the shore, on the NW side of North Passage, just outside the entrance to Glacier Bay. It was foggy and often we couldn't see the shore, only note it on the radar and chart plotter. We noticed two creek outfalls and slowly began trolling the first one. Bam! Immediately we hooked up Cohos on the diving planes. Coho and after Coho, small, medium and some large. So we kept a few large ones, topping off the cooler for the Semonsens and Ages flight home to Los Osos.

Our route to Hoonah with a fishing detour.

After a couple of hours in the fog, listening the humpbacks blowing, watching salmon jump, and reeling in many Coho, we moved on to Hoonah. Once there we cleaned the boat, and prepped for tomorrow's crew change in Bartlett Cove.

It's been a fun couple weeks with the Semonsens and Ages. They're always ready for adventure and prepared to find the bright side of any challenge.

The new crew are the poker playing cowboys and cowgirls from SLO town: the Frenchs and Fontes. This group is eager to see Glaciers and Chuck French wants to compare them to the ice from his January trip to the Antarctic. He's bringing his 3-foot zoom lens to get a closeup. They arrive on Monday, so Alex has a day to relax and update the Blog.

#41 – Lituya Bay to Dundas Bay

We pulled the anchor at 8:30, then our prawn traps, and headed for the narrow channel leaning out of Lituya Bay. Slack tide was near 9AM and we wanted a smooth exit. In July 1786 two large oar boats from French Captain La Perouse's expedition capsized at the entrance to the Bay. The boats were sucked out the entrance by the rapid tidal current into breaking seas, drowning all 21 hands. This time we correctly judged the current and passed without incident into a flat Gulf of Alaska.

Today's 60 mile run to Dundas Bay

Actually there was smoother water outside the Bay since the tidal current wasn't in play. Bright sun, no waves and no wind: definitely a sailor's and surfer's nightmare, but a power boater's dream! You could see far up and down the Alaska Gulf coast and deep into the western interior of Glacier Bay National Park. We took several panoramic photos. Wow, what a day!

Panoramic photograph from Lituya Bay entrance about 10 miles south towards the La Perouse Glacier.

The smooth water allowed full galley operations and the crew produced tasty fresh prawn omelets with spuds.

Omelet ingredients.

Completed prawn omelet brunch.

With our stomachs full, we needed to make use of our $55 King Salmon fishing license stamps. As the boat approached Icy point from the north, five salmon long-liners appeared. Through the binoculars we could see a bustle of clubbing activity at the stern of one busy fishing boat, a sure sign that fish were being boated. That was our signal to begin trolling. Bob and Gerard launched the dive planes at 70 pulls, about 35 feet with about 2 knots of speed, and a string the double hook-ups began. Kings, then cohos, then one each. About 7 seven double hook-ups in all. Instead of yelling “hookup” to the boat driver, our modern fishing etiquette entailed a routine “neutral please” instead. We returned many short Kings, kept about three good-sized Cohos and finally landed a legal 28” King keeper.

28” Alaska legal King salmon

A seal almost had a bite out of this King but we rescued him for our table.

After a long, slow run trolling down the Gulf coast we turned east into Icy Strait. The seas maintained their calmness and we moored past Brady Glacier into Dundas Bay for the evening. We fired-up the BBQ.

Brady Glacier from Icy Strait.

Wild Blue BBQ: day old halibut, morning fresh prawns, and afternoon fresh King salmon (not pictured).

#40 - Lituya Bay

Today we'll go ashore on Cenotaph Island. There's supposed to be a fishing cabin somewhere on the island as noted in the eyewitness report from those that were here during the 1958 tsunami. We motor ashore in the tender and note a tide that only has about 2 more feet to drop before slack. So the tender needs to be moored in a deep water, say 4 feet, near shore. We find a suitable spot, we think, and begin our hike around the island.

It's a 2-hour hike around Cenotaph Island.

The west side has a sandy beach and looks like a place a cabin might be located. We nearly circumnavigate the island and on our way back past the sandy beach we note a brass plaque mounted high on a large rock. Apparently a Mr. Jim Huscroft lived on the island for 22 years until about 1940. The plaque was dedicated to him by the Harvard-Dartmouth Alaska Expeditions in the early 1930's. However, his cabin was nowhere to be found.

Sandy beach to the right and plaque honoring long-time resident.

Plaque honoring Mr. Jim Huscroft who apparently lived through a tsunami on the Bay on October 27, 1936.

After our 3-hour tour of the island, we arrived to find Wild Blue's tender high and dry. We seem to be able get this to happen at least once each cruise. Architect Bob and contractor Gerard began designing and building a launch ramp from old decaying trees. After clever lever jockeying, the boat rolled down the ways afloat once again, and tri-athlete Tina didn't have to swim to the boat in 40 degree water.

Bob supervises launch ramp construction without a permit in the Coastal Zone! He would be jailed in California.

Wow what an environmental mess these guys are making, but the dead tree served a good use even from it's grave.

It's 40 degrees in the water and everybody except the skipper has to wade to the boat. Hey somebody has to drive this amphibious launch. With this asset, he is able to negotiate a chocolate cake dessert for tonight. Yum!

Once aboard we move the boat to the west side of the island pulling our prawn traps and filling another bucket of prawns. We pass a cliff where a bird-fest of the Black Legged Kittiwakes variety is being held. Boy, they are a noisy group.

The Black Legged Kittiwakes are noisy neighbors.

Tomorrow it's time to leave the Bay for points south. We leave on the ebb tide at about 8 AM. see you then.

#39 - Lituya Bay

Besides the fine fishing, the other reason to visit the Lituya Bay is the tsunami. Today we will pull and re-bait our traps and tour the Bay looking for signs of the tsunami. Both crab traps were empty except for a starfish having an affair with the bait can.

Lituya Bay is kinda shaped like a fish, just one of the reasons it's a hot fishing spot.

Please have these love affairs underwater, not out in the open.

So besides halibut, there is also giant prawns in the deep recesses of the Bay.

Bob is so excited by the prawns he quickly re-baits and is ready to reset the prawn traps in record time.

We motor east to the Cascade Glacier at the head of the Bay.

The same topography that leads to the heavy tidal currents at the entrance also created the highest wave from a tsunami ever recorded anywhere in the world. An earthquake caused a landslide in the Crillon Inlet at the head of the bay on July 9, 1958, generating a massive mega-tsunami measuring 1,720 feet high. The wave stripped trees and soil from the opposite headland and consumed the entire bay. There were three fishing boats anchored near the entrance of Lituya Bay on the day the giant waves occurred. One boat sank and the two people on board lost their lives. The other two boats were able to ride the waves. When the wave reached the open sea it dissipated quickly.

The giant wave runup of 1720 feet at the head of the Bay and the subsequent huge wave along the main body of Lituya Bay were caused primarily by an enormous rockfall into Gilbert Inlet at the head of Lituya Bay, triggered by an earthquake. The large mass of rock impacted the bottom of the inlet with great force. The displaced water and the folding of sediments broke and uplifted 1300 feet of ice along the entire front of the Lituya Glacier and the impact resulted in water splashing action that reached the 1720 foot elevation on the other side of the inlet.

Today, you can easily see the height of the wave by noticing the tree line: new growth versus old growth.

Further down the Bay the wave dissipated in height.

A recent geologic study has determined that slides and tsunamis have been rather frequent in Lituya Bay. Approximately every 30 years since about 1860 a slide, and possibly a tsunami, has occurred. This pattern stopped after the 1958 slide, so many believe another slide, and tsunami are overdue. So with those facts in hand, we decided to anchor on the east side of Centotaph Island last night, the anchorage of one of the surviving boats form the 1958 slide.

But today's cruise sort of explains why a recent slide may not cause another tsunami. The head of Lituya Bay has filled in with slide material. There is no water or ice to displace anymore, and thus no tsunami. Thankyou Dr. Benson, nice work.

Gilbert Inlet is no more. The area that caused the 1958 tsunami no longer has water or ice, just slide material.

After careful study, Dr. Benson has updated this Lituya Bay chart to reflect the filled in inlets at the head of the Bay.

All this study makes a researcher thirsty, but researchers don't like warm beer, even here in Alaska. Let's collect some glacier ice to fill the cooler and chill our beverage.

Wild Blue holding position at the head of Lituya Bay.

More research is needed so an expedition party is organized and managed by Ground Captain Gerard. Four crew take the tender ashore for the assault of the Cascade Glacier, or it's waterfall. It's a rough 2-hour, uphill trek but the expedition succeeds and photographs record their findings.

Expedition party hikes to the face of the Cascade Glacier. Let's hope a chunk doesn't decide to detach.

A roaring waterfall greets the team and they celebrate their accomplishment.

Gerard takes it all near the face of Cascade Glacier.

At last it's dinner time. Let's see what should we have with our halibut. How about fresh prawns? We cook them for just four minutes only as per the Karen Almas recipe. What an awesome sweet flavor!

Just 4 minutes cooking time only, and seasoned with Pappy's per Williebird's request.

There's way more than we can eat in one sitting, so we sit down twice!

The complete Lituya Bay epicurean experience: fresh LB BBQ halibut, wild rice, peas and fresh LB prawns. Awesome!

Well this is our anchorage for tonight on the east side of Centotaph Island. It has a nice view of the glacier and is perfect. We'll explore Centotaph Island tomorrow. Good night.