Glaciers are further than they appear

Kayaking in Kenai Fjords National Park was supposed to be a highlight of the trip. Getting there requires a boat ride from Seward: there are no roads beyond Exit Glacier, and it would be far and dangerous to paddle from Seward through the open waters of the Gulf of Alaska. So we signed up for a full day guided trip. It started with a two hour boat ride to a beach near the Holgate Glacier. We saw three other glaciers during the trip, all coming from the Harding Ice Shelf, just like Exit Glacier that we hiked on Friday and Saturday.

During the long boat ride, we stopped several times for animal sightings. Mostly birds. Lots and lots of birds. The most impressive stop was seeing two mountain goats on the side of a sheer rock. Everyone was impressed that the pilot spotted them. Sorry, we don’t have good photos because Greg did not bring his camera with a long zoom lens on this excursion.

Apart from the guides, we were the only experienced kayakers, so it took quite some time for the rest of the group to get ready once we finally reached the beach. When the kayaks first entered the water, we just paddled around the coast looking for more wildlife. We saw starfish, a rodent-like creature that is related to a mink and birds. Lots and lots of birds. Still too many animals without enough paddling.

Next, we headed to a waterfall. The waterfall was very pretty and you could really feel the water.

Next to the water was a small channel bordered by some rocks. One of the guides checked the water level to make sure it was safe to pass through, then invited us to follow her. We were the only ones who did. While we waited for the group to catch up, we decided to go through the pass a second time.

Finally it was time to kayak to the glacier. We passed a bunch of waterfalls and two other glaciers before getting to the Holgate Glacier. Surprise Glacier is hidden until you get closer to Holgate. Surprise! Holgate Glacier is a tidewater glacier that is calving, meaning that icebergs break off. For safety, we could only get about 1/2 mile (about 1km) from the face of the glacier. Just like when we kayaked at Mendenhall Glacier in Juneau, you can feel the cold wind off the face of the glacier. A total rush!

Next we pull over to a nearby beach for lunch and waited to be picked up by the boat. On the way back we saw a pod of Orcas. The guides were able to recognize the pod as 85, from the notch of the fin of one of the Orcas.

And finally we passed a Humpback Whale.

We also saw sea lions, but we’ve taken better photos earlier in the trip so none for us today. Overall it was nice to get out and kayak in Kenai Fjords. The day was quite long and it felt like we spent more time looking at birds than paddling. The scenery was stunning but we wanted to be able to go further and explore more. It wasn’t our favorite boat or kayak trip on the Kenai Peninsula.