Aialik Glacier,

 Wednesday, July 17

We enjoyed a quiet sun-splashed morning in Seward where we walked along the pier and browsed in gift shops.  Ashley also tried to convince a few fishermen to sell/give her some freshly caught salmon.  The views from the port were spectacular as boats provided the foreground and rugged mountains the background.

Later in the afternoon, we boarded a five hour boat cruise with Kenai Fjords Adventures.  We observed wildlife (humpback whales, seals, sea lions, puffins, bald eagles, and porpoises), unique rock formations and glaciers.  The highlights for me were definitely the massive Aialik Glacier and dall porpoises. 

Aialik Glacier, located in Aialik Bay within Kenai Fjords National Park, is one of the park’s largest and most active tidewater glaciers. Stretching more than a mile wide at its face, this glacier descends dramatically from the Harding Icefield, which feeds over 40 glaciers in the region. What makes Aialik Glacier especially captivating is its frequent calving events, where towering slabs of ice break off and crash into the ocean below with a thunderous roar, which provide an unforgettable sight and sound. Its brilliant blue hue is a result of dense ice absorbing every color of the spectrum except blue, which is reflected back to our eyes. 

The Aialik Glacier was the most spectacular one that we observed while in Alaska as its sheer size and bright blue color took your breath away.  While getting super close to the sea lions, we observed some amazing calving of the glacier as large chunks of ice fell into the arctic sea.  And, on the way back, a small school of dall porpoises entertained us as they swam in the wake of our boat.