Capturing the Moment

  Jumping into Unakwik Inlet like... Today we explored a wondrous place called Unakwik Inlet here in Prince William Sound, Alaska. This was the epicenter of the 1964 Good Friday earthquake. It measured 9.2 on the richtor scale, making one side of the fjord raise up 12 feet while they other side sank down. Dead trees can still be seen along the inlet on our way up to Meares glacier at the end. Meares glacier is always an exciting one to explore, because it is advancing instead of retreating, like almost all the other glaciers in the world. If you get close enough you can see where the glacier is slow motion bulldozing its way through the rainforest, knocking trees over and pushing earth in front of it as it advances. We had some guests kayaking and others exploring by small boat, but I wanted to take people on a hike to the glacier face. This is one of the most unique hikes that I've found up here in Prince William Sound. We landed on an easy rocky beach. Then we crossed a small str...

  There are so many beautiful glaciers here in Prince William Sound, Alaska. Many are high in the mountain valleys, hard to reach without some serious rock climbing ability. Others spill out of the mountains all the way down to the ocean. These are called tidewater glaciers, and are best explored by boat or kayak. There are a few, however, that allow a different kind of adventure. Meares Glacier is one of these. It is a tidewater glacier, but it is currently advancing through the rainforest on its sides, presenting a unique way to experience this glacier with a hike. There are certain parts of the glacier that you can actually walk up touch. It is a dynamic environment, always changing, so this adventure won't always be an option. But right now, it is an adventure not to be missed. We landed on a gently sloping rocky beach, perfect for a skiff beach landing. We crossed a small stream and entered the rainforest on a well-used bear path. We stopped for a few photo opportunities of th...

  Peaking through an iceberg at my kayak group near Meares Glacier in Prince William Sound. Kayaking around glaciers is one of my favorite things. This morning I led a small kayaking group from the mothership, anchored about a mile and a half away from the face of Meares glacier. This is a rare glacier in that it is slowly advancing, bulldozing its way through the Alaskan rainforest. Almost all other glaciers here are retreating. It can be a very active glacier, dropping huge chunks of ice off the face into the fjord waters below. This is what I wanted to explore today. I set off with a group of four other adventurous kayakers to see what beauty we would find. None of us expected it to be quite as beautiful as it was. Pristine conditions for kayaking this morning at Meares Glacier in Unakwik Fjord. The waters were flat calm. It was almost like paddling on a mirror. I led our group into thick brash ice as we crossed the fjord to check out some waterfalls on the far side. The kayaks ...