∞A beautiful morning today! We
left around 8AM and did a very slow cruise up Johns Hopkins inlet as far as we
could make it because it was absolutely choked with icebergs today so john was
threading the needle to get us up the channel. We got a little bit farther than
Lamplough Glacier which is a big chunky looking glacier that goes all the way
to the sea as well. The upper part of Johns Hopkins inlet is closed right now
as it is a critical seal breeding ground, but we almost made it to the corner
at Jaw Point where we could have seen it from a distance, but the ice prevented
us from doing that. Spencer really wanted to climb aboard an iceberg so John
positioned the stern near a decent sized chunk of ice, Spencer jumped off and
slithered up on the iceberg long enough for the pictures, then back to the boat
and out of the water quickly. Big smile on his face!
∞Tomorrow is the last day of our
permit so we made our way down to the lower part of Glacier Bay to the Geike
Inlet and anchored in Shag Cove, a beautiful cove sandwiched between steep
hills. We had to go all the way to the head of the inlet to find water that was
shallow enough for anchoring as most of the inlet was 200’ deep. We are the
only ones in here which is really lovely, and once again it looks prime for
bear viewing with a stream outlet at the beach, bear grass, and dense
vegetation everywhere. Jennifer, John, and Spencer went to shore and explored
(bear spray in hand) and I went for a kayak ride around the bay. Had a glorious
afternoon in the hot sun just hanging out on the boat, another heat wave day.
∞After dinner we went on a whaler ride out in the
outer bay to see what’s around. As we circled back to return to the boat,
Spencer and John were debating whether a big brown mass on the distant shore
was a bear or a stump. After a minute or two – it MOVED! Spence yells “BEAR!”
to which it responded by leaping to its feet and dashing into the woods –
another massive brown bear. We were all surprised with the agility and speed in
which it retreated. Another reminder why not to run if confronted by a bear –
they can run faster than you and by running away it triggers the hunting
impulse in the bear and confirms you are prey. Of course I hope we are never in
this situation, and if we are I am not sure my nerves would allow me to have
the wherewithal to not run!
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