July 23, 2019 - Glacier Bay: East Arm and Hunter Cove

We spent this day enjoying the east arm of Glacier Bay.  Most all of the commercial boats go up the other arm so it was a quiet day.  We left early and let the kids sleep in since they would get to see everything on the way back down.  As we went north the weather was nice but it did change as we neared the very north end at Muir Glacier.  Rain set in, and the mountains became obscured by low clouds.

Riggs Glacier.  This used to touch the water.  Kathy once camped here overnight
after hiking up the rocky right side.  She also walked on this glacier.

Muddy Muir Glacier water meets clearer sea/glacier
water near Muir Glacier.

Muir Glacier.  It's another glacier that doesn't touch the ocean anymore.

 

On the way south from the arm, we decided to have Kathy stay on Adagio and let Steve and the kids go in to see McBride Glacier by dinghy.  You can no longer see McBride from Muir Inlet Channel and the waterway to the glacier it is too shallow for all but dinghies and kayaks.  Kathy kept Adagio "parked" out front while the dinghy exploration was going on.  There were quite a few icebergs beached and both Steve and Kathy remember how fun it was to walk around them.  Steve camped here via kayak over 30 years ago.  Back then the glacier was only a few hundred feet from the spit at the entrance.  Steve vividly remembers camping here, listening to the glacier creaking, groaning, and exploding with calving all night long.   That experience can no longer be duplicated, as the glacier is now miles away, and not even visible.

McBride Glacier.  Not many people see this one anymore since you have to go
several miles up an uncharted waterway.  It has retreated several miles since
Steve camped in front of this glacier 30+ years ago.

Adagio floating in front of McBride Glacier.  The glacier used to be visible from
here but has retreated several miles around the corner.

Weather changes here rapidly,  They entered in the rain and came out with the sun!

We anchored in Hunter cove, a fairly small cove on our way back down the east arm.  The weather was sunny and no other boats were here.  I am not sure we even saw a boat go by the entire evening.  We had dinner and then went to shore for a campfire.  There is finally some wood on the beach we can use to make a fire!  Strangely, with all the trees here in Glacier Bay, there is very little wood on the beaches and we have not been able to have a beach fire, until tonight.

Our campfire in Hunter Cove

Panorama in Hunter Cove

The whale we watched, and followed in our dinghy, that was eating in the cove