Alaska Sojourn: A Great Day Sailing the Alaskan Fjords

The sun was shining brightly as we got up Sunday morning. We had not anticipated that as the previous day had been quite cloudy. The blue skies seemed a good omen for our day on the water. Today we would take a six hour boat ride through the fjords out of Seward and see parts of the Kenai Fjords National Park. In this post be prepared for lots of photos as I took nearly 500 photos on our tour. There were just too many beautiful vistas to ignore.

A shuttle picked us up and took us to the dock. It turns out the driver lives in Arizona. She only came up to Alaska to help drive buses after a friend told her about the need for drivers. The pandemic and its challenges for employers has reached all the way up into Alaska.

We didn’t wait too long to board our boat which was a nice large boat. There were two levels and seating for everyone in the interior sections. These were fitted with tables and nice large viewing windows to look through during the trip. We noticed a wide variety of people on the trip with quite a few families with their kids in tow. Some of the older kids never left the cabin.

Although the sun was out, it was a cold morning, especially outside with the wind whipping by due to the movement of the boat. While touring the boat we discovered one of the better spots to be outside was on the lower back deck. Not many people bothered to go there as they preferred the bow of the boat. The other benefit was that the engines gave off some heat from the back so it actually felt a bit warmer back there.

As the tour began, we just admired the mountains that surrounded Resurrection Bay. There were many beautiful vistas to be seen. I thought it was cool to be at the back and take a photo of the scenery with the wake of the boat. It added a different dimension to the photo.

Throughout the trip a guide would inform us about the places we were seeing, what to look for, and where to look. Like our guide in Denali, he was well informed about the animals and the geography of the area.

The first location of interest we stopped for was a tall, rocky cliff, the home for some birds. At the base of the cliff there were sea lions sunbathing which didn’t interest me much. However, high in the cliffs, the birds had their homes. There were some different varieties of birds here, but the surprising one was the puffin. We had not anticipated seeing puffins, and I was able to see some of them fly across the hillside. Photographing them was another matter. As I indicated in our trip to Hawaii, I’m not very good at photographing birds. I did get a few photos of the birds in the rocks. My telephoto lens was able to capture them as they huddled in the cracks and crevices of the cliff.

As we continued on, we came to one of the more exciting experiences of the day, an encounter with orcas. There were apparently two groups of them. One of the groups the guide called residents who apparently stay around the area. The other group was just passing by feeding in the area which is rich with sea food. Everyone was excited about seeing them so the deck was pretty crowded. I tried to take a video of them. You can see a few times when they surfaced, but you can also hear the guide giving some interesting facts about them. This was the resident orcas.

I also managed to get a few decent still photos. Like taking pictures of birds, it’s all about the timing, and I have at least three times more bad or empty pictures as I do photos that actually show an orca. However, at one point we could see them swimming close to the surface so we knew where they were. If they popped up, we were ready for a picture.

When we finally decided to leave that area and continue on, we were in for another surprise. Near a cliff the guide spotted a humpback whale. He noted that it appeared to be a young whale. Sadly for us he never breached the water but did come close to the surface occasionally. As a result the photos don’t show much, but seeing two different kinds of whales just minutes apart was pretty exciting.

About this time they served us a lunch as we were more out in the open sea moving from one area to another. The amazing scenery continued outside as we sailed on.

The location we were headed towards was an area with a glacier. In Kenai Fjords National Park there are quite a few glaciers, and some of them are sliding toward the sea. Our destination was Aialik Glacier which was doing just that. It is a huge glacial front, but we don’t quite realize it as we are standing in the boat looking at it. However, if you look at the fifth and sixth photos below, they show another tour boat in front of the glacier. The boat helps give perspective to the size of the glacier.

As we were standing and watching the glacier, the hope was that we would see parts of the glacier break off and fall into the water. We did see some small slides, but nothing too dramatic. However, there was still a lot to see. We saw the ice chunks floating out from the glacier. We also noted the color which was a bright aqua blue, so pretty. At one point a helicopter flew over giving someone a tour from up above. It was quite an experience, and one can certainly see the awesomeness of a creative God in this powerful place.

We stayed for probably 20 minutes here, but finally had to be on our way. A little ways out we encountered some sea otters. They were just lying on their backs with their feet in the air floating along. They looked very relaxed, and it was funny to see them float by. Another great discovery at Kenai Fjords National Park.

The guide then took the boat into a small cove where there was a waterfall coming down. He got the boat right up to the waterfall so the water was coming down on the bow of the boat. Some of the kids thought it was fun to get under the water and get wet. It wasn’t a heavy falls.

We then stopped by another area with birds. Along with the various types of gulls, we again encountered some puffins. I did get some photos of them, but I didn’t have my telephoto lens on so they are pretty small in the photo. Later the guide tried to find another unusual bird at a different location, but he was unable to see it anywhere. However, as we were leaving that second spot, he noticed an eagle flying by that had a salmon in its mouth. That was pretty amazing to see.

In the final hours of the tour as we headed back to the dock, everyone seemed pretty tired. Quite a few people were taking naps. It had been a full day, and we felt very fortunate to have seen the animals and landscapes we saw and to have the beautiful sunny weather with which to enjoy it. Here’s a short video I made to lead you back home.

This was definitely a highlight of our Alaska trip for me. While Denali had been pretty amazing, all the elements came together at Kenai Fjords to make it a truly memorable trip. If you ever find yourself in Seward, Alaska, be sure to take a nature cruise into the fjords. It will be worth it.

This post marks the two year anniversary of my blog. I want to thank all who have read my blog and encouraged me over the last few years. It has been an interesting adventure, and I have learned quite a bit in the process. I do appreciate your comments so keep them coming. I am looking forward to sharing more with you in the weeks ahead.