Hubbard Glacier

Today our stop was Hubbard Glacier, which is incredible. If you’re bored and want to see something amazing, google it and I’m sure you’ll come up with some breathtaking photos/video. The boat doesn’t dock, just comes close to the glacier, and turns around. Everybody goes outside to watch, except those who are scared of a little rain/snow, they stay inside and look out the windows wishing they were brave enough to see it in real life.

While we were there, we saw a lot of calving and some incredible breaks. We tried to take picture/video of it, and of course it’s way cooler in a real life, but I think we caught some of the coolness of it on camera.

As you stand there, you hear a crack, it sounds like thunder, then you see an enormous chunk of ice fall down into the ice.

We learned about why glaciers are blue (they are so dense, that the only blue wavelength can pass through the ice), and blue they are! As big chunks floated by us in the water, they kept getting bluer and bluer (is bluer a word? Yes. It means “more blue”), then we saw the full glacier, it was truly incredible.

Early in the morning as we were coming up to the glacier, Josh and I went to the outdoor pool/hot tub, and did a little swimming. It was beautiful, and warm, and it felt SOO good! People around us were bundled up in coats, gloves, scarves, ear muffs, full blown boots. There we sat in the hot tub, staying plenty warm. Eventually I was ready for the pool, which was surprisingly warm. People looked at us like we were crazy, but we weren’t.

It rained the entire time at the glacier, but it was TOTALLY worth being outside for it. I think it was a once in a lifetime experience, AND from what we hear we got much closer than is normal. So, only a select few (like the 2,100 people on this boat) have been that close! See? We’re special.