Destination: Icy Bay
In this first photo, you see Taan Fiord, the East arm of Icy bay. At it's head, Tyndall Glacier flows down from the base of Mt. St. Elias, the 3rd highest in N.A. at 18,008 ft. There are very few places on Earth, if any, where you can see this much vertical relief from sea level. We hoped to reach the face of Tyndall and catch the stunning view of St. Elias's summit, only 10 miles away. The weather was great for most of our trip. We, being myself, and Matthias -a friend I've made here over the past few years, were equipped with 2 person Feathercraft. It's a kayak that you can disassemble, pack into an airplane, and reassemble on-site. Once you get them all together, they're very sturdy and stable in the water. Because the water is somewhere below 50 degrees F, we also wore dry-suits just in case we were to capsize. With a bit of experience, one could most likely get back in the boat quickly, but there's no reason to take a chance, and being far out from the shore means there would be no way to survive without the suit if the something were to happen to the kayak. We camped on Kageet Pt. and made day trips from there. The day we went to Tyndall, Matt and I paddled over 30 miles.
It was one of the most beautiful and wild places I've ever been. Harbor Seals take refuge in these Icy waters while giving birth to their pups and they constantly checked us out, curiously popping up as we paddled by. Black Oystercatchers literally chased us away from their nests, flapping their wings and jumping into the air. The loud and thunderous sound of Ice Calving from Guyot and Yahtse Glaciers, across the bay, echoed in the distance throughout the night. The beaches were all covered with tracks from Bears, Moose, and wolves. I was loving every minute of it, trying to comprehend the fact that I was in the middle of the largest land-based natural preserve on Earth! A place that is still wild.
Taan Fiord and Tyndall Glacier.
It was one of our main goals to make it the face and see St. Elias on a clear day
It was one of our main goals to make it the face and see St. Elias on a clear day
First we had to fly in from Yakutat, passing through the highest coastal mountain range on Earth.
Massive ice fields with towers of ice hundreds of feet high and crevasses just as deep.
Seward Glacier curving around the Samovar Hills and St. Elias almost 20 miles in the distance
Once we were on the ground, I could hardly believe the view.
Semi-palmated Plover on the nest
Harbor Seal
Black Oystercatcher with a Mask Limpet
View from camp
I was just miserable the entire time!
Camp with Guyot Glacier in the background.
Approaching Tyndall Glacier. We were a little weary about getting too close because huge chunks of ice can calve off at any time, creating large waves that could get us in trouble.
Pigeon Guillemot
We stopped here to fill up on water and just watch the glacier for a bit. After about an hour and still no signs of major calving, we decided to shoot across to the other side.
I prefer this to my sink at home
Once on the other side, we pulled the Yak up onto the beach. You have to be careful in places like this. I've heard stories of people setting up camp across from calving glaciers, then a huge piece breaks off, sending a tidal wave over to wash away their tents and anything else left too close on the beach.
Meltwater flowing out the face.
On the way back out, St. Elias was peeking over the clouds.
Beautiful!
If you get to close to this Oystercatcher's nest, you better be ready!
On our way back to Yakutat
No comments:
Post a Comment