If the word tranquility was assigned a color, it would assuredly be glacier blue. Setting out in our trusty inflatable boats we left the cozy comfort of National Geographic Sea Bird to explore the terminal moraine of La Conte glacier. A terminal moraine is the furthest point of advancement of a glacier, as it pushes through miles of landscape, bulldozing in front of it collected loose sediment. Upon its eventual retreat, this mass of rock and dirt is left as a significant topographical feature, and in this case acts as a prominent sand bar to the mouth of La Conte fjord. In this case the moraine has created a shallow band of water that at low tide strands larger icebergs that have calved off the face of the glacier and floated miles out toward the ocean. These huge hunks of frozen ice will remain stuck until the tide rises or they meet their inevitable fate as they melt and break apart in the comparatively tepid 40 degree Fahrenheit waters.
While fascinating from a geological perspective (and let’s be honest, what isn’t?), this setting is nothing short of stunning visually. It is like wandering around a giant’s enchanted sculpture garden. The dense ice seeming to glow with its own light is actually just separating and reflecting out the blue wavelengths. Knowing the reason behind this ethereal azure doesn’t detract from its overwhelming beauty. Color aside, the shapes of the icebergs are nothing short of mesmerizing. Different from every angle and constantly changing over time, not to mention the shifting light of occasional rays of suns peeking out from behind the clouds. It is equivalent to exploring a glittering kaleidoscope of blue and white, but from the inside. Gulls and seals nonchalantly wander about this serenely icy milieu but otherwise it has a sort of captivating desolation to it. Eyes and minds in sensory overload it was time to head back to the ship and onwards to the frontier of civilization that is Petersburg. Greeted by the mild, but still present, hustle and bustle of the industrious fishing village, the calm experience of the morning served to imbue everyone with a somewhat phlegmatic aura.
