Alaska Hubbard Glacier 9-8-18

From Kodiak, we sailed south to the Hubbard Glacier.  We approached with caution, avoiding the larger chunks of ice in the inlet to within 200 meters of the ice face. 

Approaching the glacier

Small chunk calving off

Bluest ice is the oldest.  All the gases have been compressed out.

The silence of the fjord was occasionally shattered by thunderous groans and cracks as the glacier shifted and periodically calved small bergs.  A monumental river of ice, the Hubbard has been in accelerated retreat for several years.  The rounded, recently exposed rock of the fjord sides was a raw, fresh colour compared to the part nearer the sea.

The experience was wet, cold, overcast, awe-inspiring and slightly depressing as we witnessed the incontrovertible proof of Global Warming.