Hubbard Glacier - Beautiful

[Krazy Kruizers]

We have done quite a few Alaskan cruises and have been to Hubbard Glacier before. But when we were there the first week of our back-to-back cruises, it was really spectacular!

 

We began to enter the Yakutat Bay about 5:40 AM. We went out on the bow of the Statendam about 7 and stayed there until 8 when we went to breakfast. There was a National Park Service Ranger there talking about the area. From 7:30 - 9 he made his Glacier commentary from the bridge. We were able to get our passports stamped after his talk. Going to the Glacier, the bow is the best place to view all 3 sides. At 8 we arrived at Disenchantment Bay and the starboard side faced Hubbard Glacier. Turner Glacier which is derived from 2 glaciers is off to the left of Hubbard is a dirty glacier. The ship stayed in that position until 8:20 at which time the port side was able to view Hubbard Glacier for quite some time - 8:20 - 9:35. We stayed out on our portside verandah the entire time. Although the sun tried to make an appearance, it didn't really show its face until after we had left and had gotten into the gulf - even then it was out only briefly. We finally stopped about a quarter mile from the face of the glacier. We saw some awesome calving. One was the size of 3 football fields long and nearly 150 feet high! Those blue colors and darker streaks were unbelievable!! Even the Park Ranger said that he had never seen anything like it. The captain agreed with him. You should have seen the wave that came towards the ship (looked like we were on the Posiden)!!! The captain had to manuver the ship a little so that we wouldn't get rocked very much.

 

Free hot chocolate in regular cups was only available on the bow of the ship. On the Promenade deck you could only get hot choclate in a special container which you had to purchase for $6. From 9:45 - 10:15 Dutch Pea Soup was available. We got there at 9:55 and already they were out of spoons and were only giving each person half a cup as the soup was running low. Absolutely nothing was available by the aft pool. On any of the other cruises we have been on you were able to get hot chocolate and soup everywhere!!!

 

At 10:30 there was a Hubbard Glacier Presentation: "Yaakwdaat Haa Shagoon, Yakutat our History and Culture" in the Van Gogh Lounge (we didn't go).

 

The second week we were supposed to have arrived at Hubbard Glacier at 2 PM but because of the early morning fire and that fact that we hugged the coast line most of the day instead of going there directly, we didn't actually enter the Bay until 4. Since we did hug the shoreline we actually got to see the Mallespina Ice Floe - Fantastic! This mass of ice is several miles wide and floats over the ocean waters. It is just like the Antarctic ice floes. We passed many snow covered mountains - so wonderful to see from a distance. We actually got to Hubbard Glacier around 5. Because of arriving so late, the captain kept only the port side of the ship facing Hubbard Glacier. We didn't stay as long as we did the first time - left by 6:30. There was some calving but not as much as we saw the first week. As we began to leave Hubbard Glacier it began to rain. By 8:30 it was raining heavily and continued throughout the night.

[Yukon]

That's great that you got the same sort of calving at Hubbard that we did - pretty amazing experience, isn't it? Your info on the Malaspina Glacier is wrong, though - it's a land-locked piedmont glacier, not an ice floe - see the NPS site ( http://www.nps.gov/wrst/virtualtour/malaspinaglacier.htm ) and many others for verification.

 

Murray

[Krazy Kruizers]

Murray

 

I was only writing what the Park Ranger on board told us. Maybe he should go back to school???:rolleyes:

 

Yonnie

[Yukon]

I was only writing what the Park Ranger on board told us. Maybe he should go back to school???

 

I was afraid that's where you got the information - pretty sad. A glacier the size of Rhode Island deserves more research on his part.

 

Murray

[Krazy Kruizers]

Murray

 

I appreciated the information you gave me. Since I post on 3 sites, I immediately went to the other sites and put in the correct information that you gave me.

 

Thanks

 

Yonnie

[Chenega]

Sad but sometimes naturalists do give the wrong information. Some tour guides don't live up here and/or are not well versed in the facts. I know some are even given a script prepared by others. As one who has taught geography up here for over 30 years, misinformation can make my ears cringe.

 

Malaspina Glacier is indeed landlocked and known as a piedmont glacier. It's best seen from the air since you can see the beautiful rock moraine patterns within the body of the glacier. Hubbard is a tidewater glacier, i.e., it's face actually touches the ocean.