Glacier Bay National Park! We were dropped off on the East arm near Mt. Wright and paddled over 80 miles of the East arm up & back.

From Juneau we took a small plane to Gustavus where we were transported by car to Bartlett Cove, the gateway to Glacier Bay!

Veronika embarks upon her first small plane ride from Juneau to Gustavus, AK.

From our plane, Juneau airport sits in the Mendenhall valley dominated by the great Mendenhall glacier which flows 13 miles to its terminus.

At Bartlett Cove, we get our orientation, our rain coats (invaluable!) and organize ALL our goods for the week...

All packed & loaded to go - all we need for the week!

Veronika and our kayak loaded onto our drop-off boat, the Baranoff Wind.

Our drop-off below Mt. Wright... here is where we begin! It was rainy and windy -- all the other tourists thought we were nuts.

From now, we're on our own for the next 7 days...

On day #1, we see our first two humpback whales... Later they were breaching fully from the water.

When a humpback whale raises its tail-fin it typically begins a deep dive.

Glacier Bay - a place of great beauty & a good place for rain gear!

Day #1. Two bear canisters, rain-gear and a really handy hat.

A gorgeous spot north of Adams Inlet for our first breakfast. Note that we arrived at, high-tide at the bottom of the frame, 22 vertical feet higher!

Glacier Bay... it's warmer than it looks!

Veronika, ready to begin the day, with Mt. Wright in the background.

Not easy to see, but just in front of the mountain is one of many Bald Eagles that we saw in Alaska.

Topher, sunny day paddling!

We stopped for an afternoon nap this field of natural strawberries. The snaking row of mussel shells reveals the storm-level high-tide mark.

Veronika demonstrates the change in the tide. Our kayak is anchored by rocks which was necessary just a few hours before!

In the distance on the beach at breakfast we spy a visitor heading our way along the shore!

Our first brown bear (grizzly) sighting. This smaller bear was more interested in breakfast found under the rocks than the kayakers watching him.

This brown (grizzly) bear arrived just as we finished packing up our camp. Brown bears are very good swimmers...

Riggs glacier in the East arm of the Bay. This was formerly a tide-water glacier but has since receded and grounded out. Now one can hike beside it.

Entering Muir Inlet at the north end of the east arm. Overcast skies bring beautifully calm mornings in Glacier Bay.

The Muir Glacier was a tidewater glacier & a major attraction for cruise ships in the 1930's. Now it's a mile's walk behind hills of glacial morraine.

The glacial run-off is vast at Muir glacier on this gray afternoon.

Veronika does the dishes as the morning light shines on the White Thunder Cliffs. We later saw many mountain goats on these cliffs from our kayak!

This brown (grizzly) bear footprint with claws and all certainly seemed pretty big compared to Veronika's boot-size.

A brown bear comes our way! We were instructed to stand our ground... brown bears commonly make a "bluff charge" to see if you are prey.

The brown (grizzly) bear, distinguished from the black bear by the hump on its back.

Lunch! The inter-tidal zone is full of food for the brown bear. They feast for the few months of summer and hibernate through the winter.

In the distance, the dorsal fin of the quick-moving porpoise. We were often surprised when pods surfaced just yards from our kayak to breath together.

The dorsal fin of the mighty humpback whale at the mouth of the Wachusett inlet!

Size is distorted in this picture of Riggs glacier. The waterfall at the left is actually about 50 feet high.

Topher stands in front of an ice-cave at the side of Riggs glacier.

When light shines through the very compressed ice of the glacier, it emits a blue hue. This ice-cave shows the amazing blue color!

Veronika strolls about the Riggs glacier. It's an immense body of ice!

Veronika sits at the river that flows out from under the Riggs glacier caused by the melting of this grounded-out body of ice. Note the blue color.

Seals pup their young on the safe icebergs of McBride lagoon. Here, their major predator, orca (killer whale) has sonar obscured by the glacial silt.

Entering the McBride lagoon...the icebergs are only 10% above water -- just the tip. Often assymetric, they may melt underneath and roll unexpectedly.

The intrepid kayakers amid the icebergs of McBride lagoon. The McBride glacier sits about 75-100feet high off the water 1.5 miles in the background.

Sun & ice. Summer in Alaska!

Blue & dirty ice that has been grounded out in McBride lagoon waiting to melt enough to be swept out by the tide into glacier bay.

A sea of bergs at McBride lagoon, low tide.

Veronika takes a walk through the magical beached bergs at McBride lagoon.

Topher, dwarfed by more than the tip of the iceberg.

A dirty berg that came from the base of the glacier.

MMmmmm... doughnuts...

McBride glacier makes a great spot for lunch.

Pupping seals in McBride lagoon cannot be approached because if startled the pups may be lost from their parents. Orphaned seal pups are not adopted.

The harbor seal -- a "true" seal with no ears and no opposing tail unlike sea lions. Great swimmers but bad on land, they only haul out on icebergs.

This "interstadial stump" is thousands of years old. It was preserved when covered by glacial silt as a new glacier cut off the top before receding.

Topher floats among the slowly circulating bergs of McBride lagoon.

The paddlers!

The most common animal we encountered was the mosqito! These rain-proof, sun-proof and bug-proof hats were our best investment...

Dinner and warmth in the inter-tidal zone at 11:30pm at our camp in Hunter Cove.

Sunset as we finish desert. The days were 18hours long... this was about 11:00pm !

The finish of another long and beautiful day...