Hubbard Glacier

[Glaciers]

We'll see.. Another kink is that I am travelling with an 8.5 year old, so we are also keeping that in mind. (Hiking to get "that far" isn't fun with a cranky child...)

 

The trail from the parking area to the snow field is fairly flat and follows the creek. The snow field itself is a pretty fun place for kids.

 

We made it around Haenke Island twice and reached the face of Hubbard Glacier, within 1/2 mile of it or so which is very close. Twice we didn't make it further than about 10 miles away.

 

Another area that seems to be often overlooked is College Fjord. It's a jackpot of glaciers with Harvard Glacier being the prize at the end.

[Casey12]

There was one year when Hubbard Glacier was not accessible at all that summer. Our last 2 times at Hubbard Glacier we missed. Didn't get a good explanation why.

 

I agree with Glaciers about College Fjords. On a sunny day it is very beautiful. I am glad to have seen it several times.

[Melinda Brasher]

We got pretty close twice (as close as a cruise ship gets to a glacier--you're never going to be leaning out and touching the ice). On one of our trips, it looked like all the little icebergs had frozen together into a fairly solid mass, and I just knew we were going to have to turn around. A little boat was sitting forlornly there too, unable to go forward. But then our captain turned the bow into the ice and started pretty much ice-breaking. The little boat followed in our wake. It was awesome.

 

Hubbard Glacier is one of my favorite things on an Alaskan cruise. So much ice in the water. So much "white thunder" (the sound of calving). It's a highlight. Spend as much time as possible on deck or at least by the windows.

[hlsess]

Thanks- my mom picked this cruise so I am now researching....

[Sequim88]

Loving the info about Hubbard. Been to Glacier Bay and College Fjord (outstanding at Harvard glacier) so was interested in something new for this next cruise. I can see glaciers on any clear day and have hiked to the snout of Carbon glacier on Mt. Rainier several times (before the road washed out) but tidewater glaciers are different. On HAL's Veendam (not a very large ship) we got very close to Harvard (Capt. made comments though about HQ not liking if he scratched the paint job) and when a city bus sized chink calved the resulting wave rocked the ship pretty good.

[CaribbeanIsland]

My last 3 attempts at Hubbard glacier were missed due to fog. I had seen it 2x before and missed it 2x before. So 5 attempts and saw it 2x. Be aware that it is possible the ship will miss it. I would recommend scheduling another glacier such as helicopter landing or boat ride out of Juneau to Tracy Arm as a backup to see a glacier. Every glacier experience is different.

[kennicott]

Hubbard Glacier

[TheAccidentalCruiser]

Based on my VERY limited experience, many people won't notice.

 

 

2 examples:

In Glacier Bay, many only showed up when we got to a glacier. (They did not see the entrance to the bay - you can include my family in that group & we were not alone in our cabin.)

 

 

I've read on CC about people getting diverted to Endicott Arm, & later retelling how much they loved Tracy Arm - never noticing that they were not in Tracy Arm.

 

 

In their defense, the glaciers are not labeled like the Hollywood sign & if it is your first time & your itinerary said... I never heard any of the naturalist talk while in Glacier bay, so I can understand not hearing about being diverted.

Thanks. That does make sense, if people are below decks or involved in something else.

 

I was thinking that there would always be some deckwatchers. While this is not so for Glacier Bay or Tracy Arm, it seems like, when heading into Yakutat Bay for Hubbard Glacier, the change from land on one side to land on two sides would be fairly noticeable.

[kennicott]

Yakutat Bay is huge. Twenty miles across the front. Looking at it, high land mass to high land mass, from out in the ocean a bit, it is over thirty miles across. Almost two hours of sailing time to cross.

I recall the first time I became aware of that. I had a charter to Yakutat from Cordova. I was cruising along the beach, maybe only 100 feet above it, since you spot Brown Bear on the ocean beach all the time and sometimes back then those big Japanese glass balls, that they used to float their mile long gill nets, you would see. Often times it was a snap to land on the ocean beach and pick one of those up. All of a sudden there was water everywhere, with icebergs here and there. Man, even at 140 knots it seemed like forever to get across with a single engine aircraft.

[shadowmeboy]

Last June we got really close 300 yds away. The cruise before us was over a 1/2 mile out due to ice.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2376089&page=9 Post 174 starts my Hubbard Glacier photos.

[TheAccidentalCruiser]

Yakutat Bay is huge. Twenty miles across the front. Looking at it, high land mass to high land mass, from out in the ocean a bit, it is over thirty miles across. Almost two hours of sailing time to cross.

 

I recall the first time I became aware of that. I had a charter to Yakutat from Cordova. I was cruising along the beach, maybe only 100 feet above it, since you spot Brown Bear on the ocean beach all the time and sometimes back then those big Japanese glass balls, that they used to float their mile long gill nets, you would see. Often times it was a snap to land on the ocean beach and pick one of those up. All of a sudden there was water everywhere, with icebergs here and there. Man, even at 140 knots it seemed like forever to get across with a single engine aircraft.

It was "a snap" to land on the beach and pick up an Alaskan Brown Bear??? - You're a better man than I, Gunga Din.

 

(Oh, you meant the Japanese glass ball fishing floats... ....nevermind.)

[kennicott]

It was "a snap" to land on the beach and pick up an Alaskan Brown Bear??? - You're a better man than I, Gunga Din.

 

Haw, good one. Now you got me going on another war story about that beach. Every once in a while an ocean going vessel will lose power and end up on the beach. That is the end of the vessel. That part of the North Pacific has one banzai-pipeline rolling in after another. Sometimes an ocean going barge will end up there too, after the tow line snaps and the barge drifts free of the tug. Usually in a storm.

One time that happened to a huge rail barge. It was left to the elements, with all the box cars still attached to the main deck. I was doing a friend a favor, I had airline passes so flew down to Yakutat and picked up a Super Cub for him he just bought. I was taking it back to Anchorage. Very beautiful day, the Cub had big tundra tires on it, I was cruising along just a few feet off the beach and here comes this gigantic high and dry barge. I decided to circle around it, then land and try to figure a way to climb up and investigate the box cars, way up high on the barge deck. As I made my first pass, a very huge brown bear rolled out of one of the open doors on a box car. I slowly inched the throttle forward and continued my journey. Always wondered how that bear got up there.

[Budget Queen]

It was "a snap" to land on the beach and pick up an Alaskan Brown Bear??? - You're a better man than I, Gunga Din.

 

Haw, good one. Now you got me going on another war story about that beach. Every once in a while an ocean going vessel will lose power and end up on the beach. That is the end of the vessel. That part of the North Pacific has one banzai-pipeline rolling in after another. Sometimes an ocean going barge will end up there too, after the tow line snaps and the barge drifts free of the tug. Usually in a storm.

One time that happened to a huge rail barge. It was left to the elements, with all the box cars still attached to the main deck. I was doing a friend a favor, I had airline passes so flew down to Yakutat and picked up a Super Cub for him he just bought. I was taking it back to Anchorage. Very beautiful day, the Cub had big tundra tires on it, I was cruising along just a few feet off the beach and here comes this gigantic high and dry barge. I decided to circle around it, then land and try to figure a way to climb up and investigate the box cars, way up high on the barge deck. As I made my first pass, a very huge brown bear rolled out of one of the open doors on a box car. I slowly inched the throttle forward and continued my journey. Always wondered how that bear got up there.

 

You always have such great stories, Ken. :) :) I reread your father's book a few months ago, what a story. I've noted his exhibits in the Seattle and Anchorage Aviation Museums as well. Maybe you could have a post you start and update with some of your stories? I'm sure many on this board would appreciate them.

[TheAccidentalCruiser]

It was "a snap" to land on the beach and pick up an Alaskan Brown Bear??? - You're a better man than I, Gunga Din.

 

Haw, good one. Now you got me going on another war story about that beach. Every once in a while an ocean going vessel will lose power and end up on the beach. That is the end of the vessel. That part of the North Pacific has one banzai-pipeline rolling in after another. Sometimes an ocean going barge will end up there too, after the tow line snaps and the barge drifts free of the tug. Usually in a storm.

One time that happened to a huge rail barge. It was left to the elements, with all the box cars still attached to the main deck. I was doing a friend a favor, I had airline passes so flew down to Yakutat and picked up a Super Cub for him he just bought. I was taking it back to Anchorage. Very beautiful day, the Cub had big tundra tires on it, I was cruising along just a few feet off the beach and here comes this gigantic high and dry barge. I decided to circle around it, then land and try to figure a way to climb up and investigate the box cars, way up high on the barge deck. As I made my first pass, a very huge brown bear rolled out of one of the open doors on a box car. I slowly inched the throttle forward and continued my journey. Always wondered how that bear got up there.

Wow. Talk about your Close Encounters of the Ursine Kind.

 

I, once upon a time, saw a Kodiak bear on the other side of a sizable valley, through binoculars. The visceral part of me still quails at the memory of being a mere two or three miles from a living being so extraordinarily big and and destructive and intelligent. This was at the Kodiak Island Dump, and the bear was having great fun ripping apart a three-seater sofa just about half as long as it was. The reason I know the approximate distance because I immediately started quizzing my guide about just exactly how far away that bear was.

 

I can't imagine having a bear like that pop up out of a box car at me, much less while I was sucessfully handling a small plane at low altitude. (Of course, being that you are the intrepid Gunga Ken, I assume you just scooped the bear up under one arm and popped him into the cargo section next to all those Japanese fishing floats. ;))