Sincerely, Denise

PETERSBURG ON THE DOCK, SIDE TRIP TO LeCONTE GLACIER

Wednesday, June 10^th

Today we booked a tour to the LeConte Glacier which is just southeast of Petersburg. We went with SEEK ALASKA tours and we highly recommend! We met them at 10am at the head of the dock and boarded a 30+ foot cabin jet boat with bench seats and tables and best of all a heater and a head! Dan was our captain and Stephanie our deckhand. This was a fast heavy aluminum boat making it possible to quickly get into the far reaches of the inlet where the LeConte Glacier hits the water. It is the southernmost tidewater glacier of the Northern Hemisphere. Dan gave us a thrilling ride as he raced along right next to the shoreline visiting waterfalls and looking for bears (none) on the way up to the glacier. Eventually the icebergs were choking the bay which made maneuvering a bit more challenging as he navigated around the bigger bergs. Seal Moms and Pups were everywhere, they come up to the icebergs to hide from predators so they can safely birth and raise their pups until they are old enough to venture out to more exposed waters. The occasional Eagle was perched on a berg or on shore as well, but mostly we were there to see the magnificent glacier and it did NOT disappoint! Ultimately, Dan had to bring the boat to an idle and snow plow his way very carefully through the bergs and ice bombs to get us closer to the glacier. He cut the power so we could listen to the glacier as it creaks and groan, and we broke out our sack lunches to watch for calving. There were a couple of small chunks that dropped but nothing significant, until Dan started the engines to motor away and then KABOOM a huge chunk from one corner of the glacier came crashing down! So thrilling and we were a safe distance away so it was all good! Finally, it was time to head back and as if it couldn’t get better, as we neared Petersburg we were rewarded with a Humpback show! Got some great tail shots. While at the glacier, Greg and Bill had collected some chunks of glacial ice for our celebratory cocktails which we enjoyed on the back deck of our boat before heading up to pickup our takeout pizza. Just a fantastic day all around!