Glacier Adjacent

This morning we had to get up extra early. The ferry was scheduled for 7 AM but the instructions were to check-in at 5 AM. We camped at Auk Village, the campground closest to the ferry terminal. Our ferry went to two ports, Hoonah and then Gustavus. Hoonah is known as Icy Point if you have visited on a cruise ship. It is owned by the local Tlingit tribe who run the port for the cruises. We learned about the operations because Joe, a tribal elder, was on our ferry. He had to travel to Anchorage for a medical appointment which meant taking the ferry to Juneau and then flying to Anchorage. He leads bear viewing trips for cruise passengers. He let us know all about the activities the tribe coordinates from kayaking to zip lining. The local mechanic was fixing his truck while he was away and then just left his truck by the dock for when he returned. Apparently the mechanic does the work for free for tribal elders. It seems like a tight knit community.

Our stop was in Gustavus, the small community at the mouth of Glacier Bay. We are excited to explore here. We arrived just after noon. We have a reservation at the only RV campground in Gustavus. No one was in the office when we arrived and the campground is empty. We have the camp ground to ourselves - good for us, bad for business.

Since no one was around, we decided to check out the visitor center for Glacier Bay National Park, about 15 minutes away. As we drove up, a ranger was standing outside of the visitor center. So we asked if she was running a program. Ranger Miranda said she was leading a nature walk around the Bartlett Cove area. Our timing was perfect. She showed us how the landscape has changed in the past 200 years since the Glaciers receded from this area. Scientists have been monitoring the area to watch how the forest has grown. She showed us granite rocks that were placed here by the glaciers and how animals have migrated into the area. Also, she pointed out her favorite trees (!).

At the end of the hike, someone asked her about climbing onto a cruise ship. It seems rather intimidating: the rangers take a boat that matches the speed of the cruise ship, then they climb a rope ladder to climb aboard the cruise ship. We learned that the rangers here all work on the cruise ships giving talks, providing commentary while the ships sail into Glacier Bay and running Junior Ranger programs. With so many rangers for the cruise ships, they have plenty of time to spend on land with visitors like us.