August 8, 2013 - From Kake to Petersburg and a Visit to Le Conte Glacier.

 From Kake we continued along Frederick Sound and anchored in Portage Bay for the night. In the morning we continued south on Frederick Sound to Petersburg.  The Alaska Coastal Mountain Range is breathtakingly beautiful,  A hanging glacier appears mysteriously and disappears in the fog and clouds.

Un-named Hanging Glacier along Frederick Sound near Petersburg. 

I decided on Black and White for this photo.  Be sure to click on the photo to enlarge.  
There were many Humpbacks along the shore.
 Rock spires such as the "Devil's Thumb" tower 10,000 ft.

We had another Humpback follow along the side of the boat.  We could hear the deep breaths and see the "Blow Hole"as the massive whale would breathe just below the surface.

Soon the whale satisfied its curiosity and dove deep under the boat.

We see the northern entrance to Wrangell Narrows and the charming Norwegian town of Petersburg.

We decided to Contact "Whale Song Cruises"to take one of their Jet Boats to Le Conte Glacier.  It is the most southern "Tide Water" Glacier in the northern hemisphere.

As we approach Le Conte Inlet from Frederick Sound we begin to see huge icebergs.

Each one is unique and is yours to see for just this moment in time.

We passed a Harbor Seal Rookery.  The young seals look worried at our presence.

Notice the boat in front of the glacier to put into perspective the enormity of the glacier.

As our boat came closer to the face of the glacier we hear the "White Thunder"as the
Native Tlingits called it.
We could hear the huge fishers crack open like a loud gunshot.

As the glacier calved huge chunks of ice would create obstacles for our boat.  The powerful engines could cut a pathway through the ice and since there were no propellers it would not create a problem.

I was awe struck at the power of nature carving and changing the landscape.
Our boat Captain turned off the engines so we could have time to hear the natural sounds of the glacier.  The loud cracking and grinding noises were surreal.

The calving made thunderous noises and created swells as the giant masses were
catapulted into the water. 

Our pathway out of the inlet became choked with icebergs.

The compacted ice which is hundreds of years old appears brilliant blue as light shines through.

Two Bald Eagles find the perfect float to devour a fish that they had just caught.

We exited the inlet passing the massive bergs.

The icebergs are forever changing.

This iceberg looked like a wave caught in time.

This one looked like a giant splash that froze in mid air.