Imagine Glacier Bay as John Muir saw it in 1899, as a member of the legendary Harriman Expedition - without the cruise ships, the guidebooks, and interpretive signs that define the modern visitor's experience. Aboard the Catalyst, our 75-foot vintage wooden boat, we'll have the chance to see this spectacular glacier and fjord landscape in much the same way that Harriman's scientists did.

Even though the large cruise ship companies focus much of their advertising efforts on their visits to Glacier Bay, there exist many bays, inlets and coves from which no large ships can be seen. It seems ironic that the big cruise ship companies spend so many thousands of dollars extolling the beauties of the area, and then come and go so quickly, spending only a few hours in what seems to be their keystone location. We take a different approach; we spend days rather than hours in Glacier Bay, we walk through meadows that aren't even visible from the decks of the big ships, where we add our footprints to those of bears, moose and wolves. We meander from cove to cove, seldom seeing another vessel, seldom sharing our quiet anchorages.
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However, the hyperbole used in cruise ship promotions is deserved; Glacier Bay is one of the most unique places in the world, and a visit should be on all of our life lists. No other place has the variety of animals that are so easily seen from our decks. Spring warmth brings bears out from hibernation, and they quickly seek the early growing grasses and sedges that fill the estuaries. Mountain Goats move to sea level to graze on the first alder and willow shoots that emerge from the cliff clinging shrubs. Moose add their presence to the valleys, and wolves patrol it all looking for food for the seasons pups. Of course we will still see the signature Glaciers themselves, and spend time watching as they yield their leading edges to the sea. As we continue our casual wanderings around the Bay the geology begins to assert itself. Biological life here is so fresh, the whole area being ice-filled within the last two-hundred years, that the "bones" of the place are still very apparent. Fresh scars and marks resulting from the Glaciers gouge are still as fresh and crisp as they were when the ice finished its work.

All in all, Glacier Bay is not to be missed, and early spring is the best time to see it.

Suggested Itinerary: Juneau to Juneau:  This itinerary is an example, not a definite.

Day 1: Depart from Juneau’s IVF dock at 1:15 pm. As we head south down Gastineau Channel we watch as the symptoms of civilization slip into our wake. Soon high rises, power lines and cruise ships are far behind us and Orcas, Humpbacks and rafts of seabirds are in front of us. Our first night’s anchorage is in a quiet harbor outside the borders of Glacier Bay National Park. Here we will launch kayaks and take our first paddle together in the wilderness.

Day 2: Today as we enter Glacier Bay National Park, Puffins may lead us in. We then stop in Bartlett Cove for a Park Service orientation. Following an opportunity to explore the immediate area on foot, we cast off and head further into the bay. At Shag Cove, the anchorage for this evening, we may see brown bears rooting for fresh food upon the beach, mountain goats grazing overhead on rocky overhangs, and a myriad of sea birds that have flocked to the rich waterways of the park.

Day 3: Today’s cruising will lead us to beautiful Blue Mouse Cove. This is an excellent spot to explore by foot as well as by kayak. Here we may see the evidence of bears ransacking a tree for insects or find moose munching on willows. A newly grown forest arises out of the land as it rebounds from the weight of melting ice.

Day 4: As we weigh anchor and head out into the morning mists rising from a mercury smooth sea we will see bear trails winding from the ridges down to the waters edge. At this time of year snow is still low on the flanks of the mountains, and animal trails can easily be identified. Numerous migrating birds find a short refuge alongside the waters of a retreating glacier, feasting on the abundant sea life below the water’s surface, before they fly to their summer nesting grounds. The courtship has begun, and the birds are in their fancy plumage. Nunataks, the pointy tips of mountains that escaped the rounding of the glacial ice poke their heads up over the ice fields of glistening white.

Day 5: The highlight today may be a visit to the Grand Pacific and Marjorie Glaciers, or it may be the otters that we may see as we kayak in John Hopkins Inlet; or, it may just be the particular shade of blue that the sky takes on after the sun sets late in the evening. In any case, it promises to be a day of superlatives. Kittiwakes nest along the side of the glaciers, while eagles come to rest upon the floating ice. The ice cracks and calves into the sea and hunks of dense blue ice shift and turn as they float by.

Day 6: As we continue our casual wanderings around the Bay the geology begins to assert itself. Biological life here is so fresh. The whole area was “born” from the receding ice within the last two-hundred years. The “bones” of the place are very apparent. Recent scars and marks resulting from the glaciers’ gouge are still as fresh and crisp as they were when the ice finished its work. Watch for mountain goats to be low, feeding and sunning themselves on rocky ledges. Occasionally we see bears moving from one island to another, swimming in pursuit of fresh vegetation for their early season salad diet. There will be opportunities for either a hike or a paddle following the days run by boat.

Day 7: We rise to greet another day in the wilderness. We will travel the edges today, looking for Stellar Sea Lions who haul out on small islands. These islands also host a gathering of Puffins. Glacier Bay boasts a large array of quiet coves and bays, each of which plays host to a stunning variety of plants and animals. We will choose between this abundance for an anchorage for the night.

Day 8: Today we will leave Glacier Bay proper and head west down Icy Strait and enter Dundas Bay. Even less visited than Glacier Bay, Dundas Bay is home to Bears, Whales, Otters and Hoary Marmots. We will anchor at the head of Dundas and explore its river estuary on foot.

Day 9: Leaving Dundas Bay we travel eastward up Icy Strait. Watching for Humpback Whales we will cruise through some of the richest fishing grounds in SE Alaska. This abundance draws Harbor Seals, Stellar Sea Lions and sea birds of many species. We will anchor for the night at a small cove that provides shelter from the larger waters of Icy Strait, as well as a place to explore by foot or paddle.

Day 10: We are up early to make sure we get everyone to Juneau in time to make their connections to the outside, or to take advantage of the many attractions in the Juneau area. We will be at our mooring by noon and bid one another bon voyage until our next voyage together.       

Port of arrival and departure will be Juneau.
OFFERED IN 2010 for a 10 day Juneau to Juneau trip.
SEE 2010 CALENDAR FOR RATES AND DATES.