Capturing the Moment

  I love kayaking here in Alaska, and especially when we can kayak around ice. This day was especially good, with glassy calm conditions and a never-ending floating ice garden to explore. Discovering a new place to take our guests for adventures is always a good feeling. It is so nice having the flexibility as expedition leader, to search out these places and add them to future trips. Last week, we were iced out of our visit to Columbia Glacier, here in Prince William Sound, Alaska. So we instead went to a bay adjacent to Columbia fjord, in hopes that some of that ice would be there for us to walk around and paddle around. It was super low tide, so tons of big icebergs were trapped on the rocky shore, separating the bay from the fjord. I was excited to take people back, although this time I was prepare to explore by kayak. Only four people chose to come with me, but after this wild adventure, they all thought they chose correctly. We ended up paddling over 6 miles, way up a beautif...

  A US Geological Survey marker signals the top of our hike. A beautiful view of Lake Eyak and the surrounding mountains unfolds before us. It felt like we were high in the Swiss Alps, with alpine lakes and snow capped peaks all around. Cordova, Alaska is a town that is off the beaten path. Way off. There are no roads that connect it to the rest of Alaska. Many of the 2,400 folks that live here like it that way. But that means there are only two way to get here; by little plane (either landing on the lake or a small airstrip known as Mudhole Airport), or by boat. We are cruising in Prince William Sound this week aboard the expedition ship Safari Explorer, so this was our ticket to one of the most remote coastal towns here. I almost couldn't believe my eyes when I woke up this morning. There was not a cloud in the sky. Prince William Sound, being immersed in a temperate rainforest, does not usually provide weather like this. I had to go dig my sunglasses out of the bottom of my bag....

  Our first look at Tiger Glacier. In the far southwest reaches of Prince William Sound, there is a protected fjord known as Icy Bay. I love to visit here because we always have it all to ourselves, and the scenery is second to none. The wall of the fjord crater up to thousands of feet, waterfalls tumbled down the sheer sides, mountains goats scamper in impossible spots along the cliffs, and a massive glacier, filled with blue ice, slow motions tumbles into the sea at the end. Last week we were blocked from access to the face of the glacier because the surface of the ocean was frozen solid for about a mile. I even got out and walked on it, just to test it. The fact that I didn't fall through, made me think that this ice was here to stay for awhile. So imagine my surprise when we showed up this morning, and got closer, and closer, and closer, until finally, we were at the face of the glacier. The guests awed at the deep blue ice in the glacier, and then, suddenly, a huge chunk calve...