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travelogue: excursions (hubbard glacier)

day 7: hubbard glacier, alaska
so this wasn't technically an excursion - there is nowhere to get out at hubbard glacier. but the ship sails up a narrow channel for a couple of hours, and suddenly at the end is this monstrous beautiful blue glacier. how close a ship can get is different every day and dictated by the coast guard. this day, we got within a half-mile of it. and honestly ... that was plenty close.

there are not words to capture the true scale of this crystalline beast. one of my few goals for the trip was achieved this day, too - my husband and i sat in a hot tub and watched the glacier outside. the air was cold (though not arctic) even in the aquadome, the water was hot, and the glacier was truly breathtaking.

we even got to watch it calve several times, including one that was so big, the wave it created rocked the entire ship.

it's hard to get the scale on these, but they're each at least
about 5-8 feet tall, just floating in the sea around the ship.

the crowd on the windy top deck of the ship, checking out the glacier
and the mountains not far behind it.

a little calving - not the big one, but still very impressive in
it's own right.
stunning. just stunning. and surreal to see right in front of you.

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