Among the glaciers in Alaska

Our little fleet of zodiacs launched from the Sea Lion and headed towards Dawes Glacier, weaving among ice floes on the way.

It was the final day of our Lindblad / National Geographic trip, and we were off on one last adventure.  The glacier itself is beautiful to see, a mile-wide wall of otherworldly blue ice with darker striations.  The craggy top reminded me of castle crenulations.  To get a sense of the size, look for the ship in front of the photo below – see it?  Look right above the pink star I added.

The ice floes floating everywhere in front of the glacier are fascinating, sometimes white or blue, and sometimes crystal clear.

Everywhere you look, there’s something to see – huge waterfalls, sea birds darting overhead, harbor seals lazing on ice or popping up to peer at you curiously.

It’s chilly on the water, with a cold breeze blowing off the ice.  But it turns out there’s a solution to that…

We saw another zodiac roaring towards us, filled with… Vikings?  Our amazing crew had one more surprise up their sleeves: a “Coco Boat” to deliver hot chocolate and Baileys, just the thing to ward off a glacial chill.

I’m not sure I’ve ever enjoyed a warm beverage more!