It was overcast today, much different than yesterday, but there was only a slight chance of rain.
After sleeping in and hanging out in the rig all morning, we finally got dressed and made the one-mile drive to the end of Airport Road and Glacier View Park. Calling it a "park" is a bit deceiving. There are two picnic tables and a couple of signs next to the lake cluttered with ice.
A tour company was there with a trailer with a couple of inflatable kayaks on it. It appeared there was a tour going on in the lake, but we didn't see anyone as we inflated our Sea Eagle FastTrack and prepared to launch into the cold water.
Seeing large blue icebergs on the right side of the lake, we went that way first.
The glacier you see up in the mountains in the valley of the photo above is Camacia Glacier. It terminates in the mountains, but its stream, Camacia Creek, flows into this lake.
There was dirt/rock moraine-covered ice and then sections of beautiful, glacier blue ice like this.
The big chunk of ice on the side of this iceberg looked precarious, so we didn't get too close to that one.
But we didn't hesitate to paddle into this grouping with the appropriate amount of caution.
Here's Linda's video.
It was beautiful.
We made sure the ice was pretty well connected, so there was less chance of the bergs rolling. And not only did we have to be concerned about falling ice, but the ice extends out underneath the bergs and we couldn't see it through the silty water. So, we probed with our paddles to make sure we didn't get stuck on the ice or worse yet, that our boat didn't get punctured by an unseen sharp edge.
Paddling out of that section, we looked up the valley to Camacia Creek and could see some folks walking there.
We saw no reason to paddle across the lake to walk by the creek, so we paddled around to this mountain view, ....
and headed for more blue ice.
Continuing on, we headed toward this.
Now, though it looks like land, the rocky sections are rock-covered ice.
That was another place we paddled away from concerned that that shelf might collapse.
We don't know what this lake might look like next week or anytime in the future, but we felt fortunate to be here at this time among all this beauty.
Amazing.
Linda took another video as we paddled through this little area.
Honestly, I could have just gone back to the Jeep after that and been happy. But I couldn't stop taking pictures, and we continued on.
We started toward the left side of the lake.
And then we spotted kayakers in the area we were in earlier.
Here's another good look at how the ice can be disguised by rock and dirt.
Turning a corner, we finally got our first view of the face of Valdez Glacier in the distance.
Might as well paddle there since we're here. Turns out the lake is much bigger than you can see from the parking lot/picnic area.
We paddled into a cold little breeze toward the glacier.
In my research of Valdez, not much was mentioned about this glacier and lake. Is it because it's not very big or not as pretty as the ocean tidewater glaciers? Is it because there is a noisy rock quarry on the edge of the lake?
I don't know, but we'll consider it a "hidden gem" for now that you can access on your own or with a couple of small tour companies in town.
The rocks on top of the face were falling in, and they kept us from venturing too close.
But we got close enough for some more nice pics.
At certain times of the year, there are ice caves the tour companies may guide you into on foot or boat, but ice caves are never guaranteed.
By then, we'd been on the icy water a long time, and we were starting to get chilly, so we headed back.
We couldn't help but wonder how these massive hunks of ice that we paddled around in the beginning got from the glacier all the way to the other end of the lake without breaking up or getting stuck nearer the glacier face.
We paddled by this cliffside where the glacier face had once been.
A small tour had beached their boats around the corner and hiked up for an interpretive talk and higher view of the glacier.
One last picture as we made our way toward our launch point and the parking area.
Except for the noise from the rock quarry, we enjoyed a mostly peaceful paddle. Perhaps we should have done it after work hours, but we were quite satisfied with our little self-guided tour. This lake was a big reason we brought our Sea Eagle along, and it was also another reason we decided to stay nearby at the Valdez Glacier Campground.
Another memorable day in Alaska.
Tomorrow, we're moving on. Since the salmon aren't running heavy yet, and we did the two things I really wanted to do in Valdez, we're heading back north.
As you know, we aren't museum people, but Valdez has an interesting history, and checking out the museum here would probably be worthwhile.
Valdez has had a past marked with major events, and it changed forever with the March 27, 1964 Good Friday Earthquake, almost 25 years to the day prior to the Exxon Valdez oil spill.
The quake measured 9.2 on the Richter scale, and was the second most powerful earthquake recorded. Its epicenter was just north of Prince William Sound, 40 miles west of Valdez. The harbor of Valdez collapsed and 32 people were killed on the docks. The town was reconstructed about four miles away on more stable ground, and while you can visit the Old Town site, there is not a lot to see there.
In the 1970s, the Alaska Pipeline was built with its terminus on the other side of the bay (known as Port Valdez). This is the northernmost port in North America that is ice-free year round.
Of course, the port location was where the Exxon Valdez was leaving when it grounded on Bligh Reef in Prince William Sound. Interestingly, Bligh Island and Bligh Reef were named after William Bligh who was on one of Capt. James Cook's exploration ships through the area. That's the same Capt. Bligh of Mutiny On The Bounty fame.
Those events, plus the gold rush days, give Valdez a prominent place in history, and doing a little research serves to enhance the experience of a visit. Valdez is often left out when people visit Alaska, but it's worth looking at including it in an itinerary due to its history and the natural beauty of the area.
Love all your pictures. Does the cold water affect Sea Eagle?
Posted by: Don Gerhart | Sunday, June 23, 2019 at 10:04 AM
Beautiful pictures. A person has to feel small when surrounded by the vast greatness of the glacier. Thanks for allowing me to follow your journey.
Posted by: Sherri Garrett | Monday, June 24, 2019 at 10:54 PM
Don,
Yes, the cold water does have an effect. The warmer the boat and the air in the boat is when it hits the water, the more the effect.
The boat will lose air slightly and we have to top it off again after we put it in the water. We re-pump the chambers to full after the boat goes in the water, but before we get in and launch.
Posted by: Howard | Wednesday, June 26, 2019 at 01:54 AM
So glad you put your boat in the water there. That was one thing we waited on and when we went back in August the ice had melted. Nice to see it through your pictures because I really regretted not doing it.
Posted by: Tracy Perkins | Thursday, June 27, 2019 at 09:44 PM