Return To Blackstone Bay

Last summer while contemplating how to entertain one of my visiting friends i decided we should probably do a boat tour, but i was kind of tired of the 26 Glacier Cruise that i had taken others on twice in the past. Instead i thought it would be cool to take a relatively new boat tour into the back of Blackstone Bay. After all, the last time i had visited Blackstone it had been from above, this time it would be from below.

We boarded the boat on a typical rainy day and thought at first it would be a pretty relaxing cruise, but just before we left another tour boat caught on fire in the engine room and had to be shut down. The operators then decided to cram as many of those people as they could onto our boat until it was packed to the rim. As much as i hated that i guess i couldn't blame them.

The tour is pretty direct to the point. We arrived in the back of the bay much faster than i expected we would (maybe because it had taken me so long to walk out of it). It's been 3 years since i, uh, Escaped from Blackstone Bay. My unprepared overnight trip on foot had been one of the most solitary experiences of my life. I suppose that although the experience was fairly uncomfortable and stressful, i wouldn't trade it in for anything. To return to the same area as a tourist on an overcrowded boat was simply surreal.

The boat would stop at something like a pristine waterfall pouring out of the lush forest, free falling over a ledge straight into the ocean. Immediately dozens of tourists would pack out the doors onto the inadequate front deck, furiously snapping pictures in the rain, cameras held high as if a celebrity was emerging from a limo. Meanwhile i would be looking up the slopes, remembering crossing that stream in isolation, looking around for bears (and finding them) and wondering if i was going to have to spend another night out in the woods. Eventually we passed the area where i slept on the edge of the cliffs and tried to keep warm while the stars move across the sky until it got light again. The boat tour didn't even exist back then.

You can still see the birds above the arch, still flying towards the ice.

You can't see them anymore but they are still there. The Northland Glacier.

Bergy bits stranded at low tide.

If you remember me complaining about my feet being wet, this is why. I had to cross every one of these streams. It goes on like this for 8 miles.

Pretty big waterfall pouring out of the Northland Glacier.

Snow patterned more by rain than by sun. Reminds me of plaque and cavities on teeth.

Scenes from the Lawrence Glacier

The rain made for some soft images much of the time but it also made the cliffs wet and contrasty.

Beloit Glacier, but it's really just another tongue of Blackstone.

Jimmy is having fun, again.

The Lawrence Glacier in color. There is apparently a lake at the top of that knoll in front of the ice and the glacier empties out in streams on both sides of the knoll.

Some very wet and cold looking kayakers.

A bit of Blackstone Glacier

Eventually i was able to stop feeling displaced and start enjoying the new scenery. The boat takes you to the very back of the bay where you can watch large walls of crumbling ice gushing waterfalls out of hidden recesses. The sky was full of birds, and there were also a few seals and otters. There was a heck of a lot of snow for July but where it had melted the ground was quickly turning vibrant green.

All in all it was an cold but enjoyable rainy day. I was glad the ship had an endless supply of napkins because i used a cubic meter of them constantly drying off my equipment. The best part of the trip for me was at the end when we ran back to the car. We were probably the first people off the boat to get to our vehicle but the boat was so late getting back that we were the second to last people to make it through the tunnel before it closed. Absolutely everyone else had to wait at least an hour for the next tunnel opening.

The Ripon Glacier. Behind all these small glaciers that make up the East side of Blackstone bay is the Tebenkof Glacier It runs parallel to Blackstone Bay for about 8 miles. It's highly visible on ferries and boat rides on the way out into Prince William Sound.