Kayaking Excitement at Northwestern Glacier, Alaska

  This is the Alaska that I see in my mind when I close my eyes and daydream about being back there. Water, so calm that it reflects the mountains and sky. Ice filled glaciers that can be the purest form of blue I know. And rugged landscapes, totally devoid of the touch of humans. No boardwalks, no cars, no ticket booths, just wilderness.

It was a picture perfect day at Northwestern Glacier in Kenai Fjords National Park. Like most of Alaska, there was not another person around for miles. It was just our little expedition cruise ship and our thirty passengers. The water was calm, almost like a mirror, reflecting the jaw-dropping scenery of the fjord. There was much less ice floating in the water than last time, but I still had high hopes that the guests would be able to see a calving, where chunks of ice as big as buildings fall off the glacier face and crash into the water. My plan was to get everyone on either kayaks or small boats, to give them a more intimate look at the glacier, the waterfalls, and the thousand foot cliffs of the fjord.

There was so much interest in the kayaking that I split them into a longer kayak and a shorter kayak. I led the shorter kayak, so after helping all the longer kayakers into their boats, I loaded up my group and we headed out into the calm waters. It felt like gliding on ice skates. There was hardly a ripple on the surface. We paddled over to the rocky side of the fjord and quickly got an idea of just how massive this landscape was. Waterfalls tumbled down the cliff walls from thousands of feet above. It was enough to make anyone feel very small. We paddled towards the glacier, checking out cute harbor seals that were hauled out on the ice.

As we paddled closer, we watched in awe as ice from way up high on the glacier, tumbled down like a river into the water below. There were some pretty big pieces falling off, but nothing like what was to come. After two decent sized avalanches, a third, huge one occurred. My group was still far from the impact zone, however, I knew the long kayak group was in the vicinity. I watched the avalanche grow as it fell, picking up more ice as it got closer to water level. Finally it hit. The noise was a bit delayed, as we were still about a mile away, but then it sounded like thunder. A huge white plume of icy rain continued to extend way out past the impact zone. Then I could see waves crashing up on the shoreline, caused by the displacement of water from all the falling ice. I was a bit worried about the other kayak group so I yelled to my group to follow me, and radioed the small boat to hurry over to check out the situation. I called the kayak guide but no answer.

I still had a ways to go, so by the time I got to the other side of the fjord, both our skiff tour boat, and our rescue boat had mobilized and gotten to the scene. It turns out the ice cloud had covered the faster kayak group and blocked out the sun. Then a blast of wind them, followed by a series of three large waves. They made it over the first two, but the third was a breaking wave that filled three of the kayaks up with ice and water. One of these started to sink and the two guests had to abandon their kayak. They were right next to another, so they grabbed on, one on either side. The guide quickly grabbed his water pump and pumped out his kayak. Then he made a raft with the other kayak, got the two guests up and out of the water, draped over the kayak raft like seals, and handed the pump to the other kayakers to empty their boat. The small boats showed up, grabbed all four of the wet guests, and wrapped them up for a short ride back aboard.

That is why we train all the time for this job. We had the guests back onboard the ship within 14 minutes. You can last for much longer than that in very cold water...but it sure isn't comfortable. And it is kind of nice to have a hot tub onboard as a rewarming option.

Just so the rest of the guests wouldn't feel left out, we set up the swim step, back onboard, for a polar plunge swim call. Some folks jumped in on the swim step, but others walked up to the plank on the second deck, for a true polar plunge high jump. Ice from the avalanche was still floating by as we jumped. But peace, and serenity, had fallen over the area again.

A closeup of the crevices and spires of Northwestern Glacier.

I thought I would pick up a hood ornament for our paddle this morning. Jaguar's got nothing on me!

A brave jumper, completing the polar plunge from the second deck high jump. Northwestern glacier in the background. We had to wait for a chunk of ice to move before he could jump!

My coworker, Justin, doing his best penguin impression. Now this is an extreme polar plunge.

This avalanche started high up this photo and traveled down like a river, hitting the water below with a thunderous roar.

Its hard to believe that a landscape so serene and peaceful could be born from something so destructive and violent.

Cute harbor seals on the ice, with a small avalanche happening behind.

The story is in the ice. Each piece of ice that is floating here in the fjord can tell a story about events long ago. There is ancient air trapped in bubbles in the ice, and this piece even shows where a landslide covered the glacier in dirt at some point long ago.

We came, we paddled, we had a great time. A little team bonding moment in front of Northwestern Glacier in Kenai Fjords National Park.

This might be my new favorite polar plunge photo. One of the guests caught me mid-flip, with a great view of Northwestern Glacier in the background.

I led a kayak today, but some people chose to travel in luxury on the small boat you see ahead. The skiff tour is a great option as it lets just about anyone get off the boat for more intimate adventures with the area.

Looking behind to see all my little ducks lined up in a row.

After a massive calving triggered a snowy avalanche, the entire fjord filled up with ice. It was amazing to see. All this ice came from the avalanche, and we are still about a mile away from the glacier.

I really like the low perspective of this photo, it makes it seem like the kayak and the boat are trapped in the ice that goes on forever. There is a feeling of solitude and adventure, that perfectly portrays what we aim to do here on these expedition cruises.

You really don't even have to leave the boat to get an amazing experience. Just step out of your room and take it all in.

The couple from this kayak are already safely back aboard and warming up by the time I took this photo. After the big avalanche, a breaking wave filled their kayak with water and chunks of ice. They helped get two others out of the water, and then our small boat picked them all up and whisked them back aboard for dry clothes and hot chocolate. It is always an adventure here, and these memories will no doubt last for a lifetime.