Herbert Glacier "Out the road" from Juneau. 

On the Ferry to Juneau

Sunset with St. Elias

First Crusie Ship

I just got back from my first day on the crusie ship and I have to say it was probably the most enjoyable day of "work" I've ever had!! No, not probably, it was for sure!
I've been preparing for this first ship since I got here and for the most part I had no real idea as to how the whole operation worked, so it was a little difficult for me to prepare. I knew I would be speaking on the PA system to about 1400 people as we crusied closer to the Hubbard Glacier but still, you just have to see for yourself as to how everything unfolds to truly understand. I was a little nervous in the beginning but not bad at all and once I got going i felt pretty comfortable. Bert, who is the cultural interpreter, is there beside me and we basically just pass the mic back and forth telling all the people about the history, culture, landscape, glaciers, mountains, parks, etc. He gives the cultural side of things and tells the stories of his people while i mainly tell them about the parks and more of a scientific explaination of everything. You can see my view down toward the front deck of the ship with all the people below looking at the glacier.
So, after about an hour of that, I went down to the deck to talk with the people and answer all of their questions. It was something else! There were lots of people asking if they could take pictures with me and wondering how I got such a great job!! I think I'll be in people's photo albums all over the world by the end of the summer!
I was surprised at how many of them said they really enjoyed my commentary and of course they all knew it was me without even knowing my name because they recognized the accent!
I really hit the jackpot on this job! Its such a unique and enjoyable experience to be able to:
ride a boat (a killer ex navy boat with almost 4,ooo hp by the way!) out into the ocean at about 1pm, meet up with a cruise ship, get ready while the captain manuevers the boat up against the side of this huuuge ship while we're still crusing at 12 knots, climb a rope ladder up into a big open door on the side of the ship while passengers watch and oo and ahh over the rail, then go up to the "bridge" with the Captain of the ship, tell everyone on board how wonderful your National Park is on the PA system for about an hour, then go down to the deck and hang out, talk with them, answer their questions, and be in their photos! Then, to top it all of, you go into the dining room and eat all you want for free!! Oh and one more thing, the entire time You are getting paid for it!! Unbelievable! Everyone asks you "which side of the ship will your boat pick you up on??" because they want to watch the transfer(around 6pm), which is pretty cool I must admit!
Damn!... It was awesome, and now I can feel a bit more releived since I've seen how everything works. I'm already looking forward to the next one! I think I can actually say " I Love my Job!!"
:-)
Here's the proof!

This is the "Pilot" boat that takes us out to the ship. The "Survey Point."

We had a bit of training last week and had to try on the survival suits. The water here is just a liiitle chilly so you'll want to have these handy!

Approaching the Crusie ship. "Rotterdam"

Here's the view once i get up into the "Bridge" with the captain and others who navigate.

I've already been talking for about an hour by this time and we've made it to within 2 or 3 miles of the Hubbard Glacier. You think you're like half a mile away because its so huge but the face you see is actually about 350' tall sticking out of the water.

"I heard there was a Glacier around here somewhere"

I couldn't get photos of the transfer from the ship back to the "Survey Point." We do it crusing at about 12 knots and depending on the swells, its exciting!

Now back to Yakutat

I had a friend show me this video recently! Everyone should watch it -"The Story of Stuff"!!
you'll see it here:

http://www.storyofstuff.com

Here's a few photos from the week. The view from my dinner table, and also my office which is just downstairs. Pretty nice to say the least! You can sit at the table and watch humpback whales pass by with the binocs on some days. I've seen it twice this week. A Bald Eagle flys overhead every evening around 9pm and goes down to perch in the same tree.

I've been busy this week making our schedule for the summer, getting myself ready for all of the programs I'll be giving on the cruise ships, and next week I have 3 groups coming from the school for a whale program so I have to be an expert by monday!
Everything is good for sure! I've never enjoyed my work so much! On Sunday I'm going out with a commercial fisherman I met a few days ago to help him fish for Halibut. Its hard to tell what I'll see out there! Its going to be an experience for sure!

I found a guitar that I can borrow for a while this week too so I can check that off the list!

What a day! It's quite hard to believe that anyone can get paid for this!
Today we flew over the area to get a good look at everything and I witnessed some of the most beautiful and breathtaking views I will probably ever see in my life! First we went out over the Hubbard Glacier, which is the largest tidewater glacier in North America. 7 miles wide at its terminus, or where it meets the water, and 76 miles long. As we approached, you could see it calving, or dropping big chunks of ice off into the water. It was truly amazing, as you can see but pictures could never do it justice! When I start doing my interpretation on the cruise ships, the Hubbard Glacier will be the highlight of the cruise, so I'm also excited to see the view from the water as well. My first ship will be on the 18th.
Then, as if thats not enough, if you look just to the SW of Hubbard, you'll see Malaspina Glacier. Malaspina is the largest Piedmont Glacier this far south in North America. So large that it can only be seen in its entirety from space. It's like a big pancake that's bigger than the state of Rhode Island! It would also be considered a tidewater glacier if it were to end in the sea but instead it spreads out over the land into a massive sheet of ice.
Mt. St. Elias was another highlight of the flight with its summit over 18,000 ft. There are several other peaks nearby like Mt. Logan at 19,550 ft which is located just across the border in the Yukon.
All of this is abolutely amazing and thats without even taking into account all of the wildlife that lives in this area. It's one of the only places in the world where the ecosystem is still intact.

I've been trying to find a way to put into words just how unique this place is but I'm not sure it's possible! Alaska is home to some of the only remaining true wilderness that exists on the earth. This area is part of the largest expanse of protected land on the planet at 24 million acres! It includes: Wrangell-St. Elias, Kluane, Tatshenshini, and Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve. Wow!

As always, click the photo to enlarge.



The brown building in the center is my new home. Its very nice and has a great view!

Malaspina Glacier

Turner Glacier

Mt. St. Elias - 18,008 ft

Hubbard Glacier rises 300 ft above the sea level

Approaching Hubbard Glacier

Here's a few pics from Glacier Bay, a truly amazing place. Look it up! The tide rises almost 22 vertical feet in the bay and these are only a few of the thousands of creatures you find under every rock in the intertidal zone when the tide is at its lowest. It reminded me of the days when I played in the creek every day searching for crawdads and salamanders.
Headed to Yakutat now!