Glaciers… Witnessing History

Lets face it one on the major reasons people to take a cruise to Alaska is for spectacular views of glaciers that you are afforded from the deck of a ship. Even flying over them which I have done in a small plane several times does not compare to being right upfront and personal with a glacier only a few hundred yards away. It is nothing short of magnificent!

davidson_glacier_4841 copy 2 — Davidson Glacier

This is my sixth summer in Alaska I have seen my fair share of glaciers. From the Sawyer Glacier in the Tracy Arm Fjord in the south to the Hubbard Glacier in Yakutat Bay in the north I never get tired of seeing them.

glacier_sawyer2 copy — Sawyer Glacier in the Tracy Arm Fjord

hubbard glacier1 copy — Hubbard Glacier in Yakutat Bay

This is the fourth time I have started to write this post with a couple of different takes on glaciers. I’ve tried to portray what it is like to cruise deep into a fjord filled with waterfalls and cascades overflowing with water or what it is like to paddle up a glacial river to the face of a glacier. My thoughts of cruising into large bays like College Fjord and Glacier Bay that holds a number glaciers as they carve through the mountains like rivers of ice until they reach their final destination, the bay itself.

glacier_college fjord1 copy — College Fjord

Each time I have begun writing within a couple paragraphs I come to the same realization… it is impossible to express in words the grandeur of a glacier. You realize how insignificant we are as humans and the power and beauty of nature in its purest form.

hubbard glacier calving1 copy — Hubbard Glacier Calving in Yakutat Bay

With that said lets take another break from the storyline and text of a travel guide and enjoy the photographs of several of the glaciers you will see while in Alaska. After all as the old saying goes… “a picture is worth a thousand words”.

Enjoy!

marjorie glacier_glacier bay2 copy — Marjorie Glacier in Glacier Bay National Park

marjorie glacier_glacier bay copy — Marjorie Glacier in Glacier Bay National Park

skagway_flight_6_190 — Marjorie Glacier in Glacier Bay National Park from above

lamplugh glacier_glacier bay copy — Lamplugh Glacier in Glacier Bay National Park

yale_glacier_college fjord copy — Yale Glacier in College Fjord

wellesley glacier_college fjord copy — Wellesley Glacier in College Fjord

glacier_college fjord2 copy — College Fjord

glacier_sawyer1 copy — Sawyer Glacier in Tracy Arm Fjord

glacier_taku_plane1 copy — Floatplane fly by of the Taku Glacier

glacier_taku_misc2 copy — On the way to the Taku Glacier

glacier_taku_misc1 copy — On the way to the Taku Glacier

skagway_flight_11 copy — On the way to Glacier Bay National Park

skagway_flight_1_190 — On the way to Glacier Bay National Park

skagway_flight_3_190 — On the way to Glacier Bay National Park

Author: larry pannell

I started my career in photography as a professional photojournalist in 1979 at the time working with several newspapers and magazines in Southern California. What I loved most about photojournalism was its diversity and over my career I covered professional sports, concerts and travel. As life would have it mine took yet another turn and in 1988 I developed an interest in holistic medicine. I became a professional massage therapist specializing in sports medicine. In 1991 I decided to go to medical school and obtained a medical degree in Traditional Oriental Medicine and stared my career as a licensed acupuncture physician. After medical school I moved my practice to northern Idaho for a year before settling in the resort area of Sun Valley, Idaho. I’ve always been an outdoor person and hiking and backpacking the Rockies and fishing the pristine river waters and high altitude lakes offered me a wonderful photographic opportunity. In 2010 I left Sun Valley and I once again found myself on a cruise ship, this time working as an “Acupuncturist at Sea”. For the past seven years I have traveled to 85 countries, which has allowed me to photograph much of the world. View all posts by larry pannell

2 thoughts on “Glaciers… Witnessing History”

I LOVE the deep blue depths of the glaciers and you’ve captured it so well. The first time I saw one, it was like I was mesmerized by that blue……………..

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