Holgate Glacier

Welcome to the Holgate Arm, a deep, highly sheltered indentation located within the expansive Kenai Fjords National Park. As your guide and resident scholar of glaciology, I am thrilled to introduce you to the magnificent…

Before we focus entirely on the massive wall of ice at the head of the bay, it is highly instructive to examine the dramatic, vertical topography flanking our vessel on both sides. We are currently floating in the very center of…

We have now closed the distance and are holding our position a safe, respectful distance from the towering, highly unstable terminus of Holgate Glacier. Standing directly before this massive, fractured wall of ice is a deeply…

While Holgate Glacier may appear completely static and frozen in time to the naked, casual observer, it is crucial to understand that it is anything but still. A glacier is, by its very definition, a highly dynamic, slowly moving…

As we maintain our position near the towering face of the glacier, take a moment to closely examine the immediate surface of the dark water surrounding our vessel. It is heavily littered with thousands of pieces of floating ice,…

If you direct your attention slightly away from the massive, central face of Holgate Glacier and look toward the rugged terrain situated on the left, or port side, of the valley, you will notice another, distinct body of ice…

As we prepare to slowly conclude our time holding position at the face of Holgate Glacier, I urge you to trace the massive, jagged river of ice visually upward, following its highly fractured path as it steeply climbs the steep,…

As our captain slowly brings the vessel about, and we gently begin our long, steady return journey down the Holgate Arm, take a final, lingering look back at the magnificent, towering wall of blue ice slowly receding into the…