Travel Notes | The Northernmost North—Alaska (9)—Glacier Bay

Glacier Bay , one of the seven natural wonders of the world

The most fascinating sight of this national park is the active glaciers in the huge bay. There are a total of 16 tidal icebergs here, accounting for half of the 30 tidal icebergs discovered in the world.

Glacier Bay cannot be reached from land and can only be reached by boat or flight. We went there on Princess Cruises in July 2012. I remember that at that time, only two large cruise ships were allowed to enter and enjoy it every day.

Glacier? A river frozen into ice is a glacier?No!

In fact, glaciers are formed by year-round snow accumulation. The bottom layer of snow is fixed into ice by melted snow water and rainwater in summer. In winter, it is covered with snow again and accumulates layer by layer. Under the pressure of the upper layer of snow, the frozen ice slowly flows little by little to form a glacier. The glacier gradually solidifies and squeezes during the flow, and over the years a glacier is formed. As the climate changes, it may melt and retreat. , or keep moving forward.

Glacier Bay National Park covers an area of ​​10,784 square kilometers. Although there is no road connection to the outside world, hundreds of thousands of tourists visit every year.

Glacier Bay was formed during the Little Ice Age four thousand years ago. Our cruise mainly saw the Margerie Glacier (Margerie Glacier) and John ·Hawthorne. JohnsHopkins Glacier(JohnsHopkins Glacier), these two advancing glaciers slowly discharged into the sea after long-term pushing.

The rate of slide of this glacier is approximately 7 feet per day. The glacier close to the sea was formed almost three to four hundred years ago, sliding down from the mountain foot by foot. These glaciers form a wall of ice and snow dozens of meters high in the bay. The wall of ice and snow collapses from time to time, and sometimes large icebergs fall into the sea.

The sound of the glacier breaking and the rumbling sound of the collapse are like As beautiful as the sound of nature. Turning my head, I saw a white iceberg falling down. In an instant, snow dust flew up, white mist filled the air, and large splashes of water appeared. The big glacier broke into pieces of ice, floating on the sea. Soon, it drifted away with the waves of the sea, and the sea surface was full of floating ice. The place where the ice just collapsed on the big iceberg was white and crystal clear. , reflecting the sun's light.

The glacier is not silent, but full of life. Seagulls are circling over the sea. A few seagulls stood on the ice floes and floated across the sea, and whales and seals appeared from time to time.

Huge glaciers that have not melted for millions of years, steep mountains that tower into the clouds, and thousands of miles of cold tropical forests give people an epic spiritual feeling. These experiences are unforgettable.