We came into Glacier Bay in late April 2023 and tied up at the Bartlett Cove dock. As soon as we tied up, a park ranger named Joseph walked over to greet us. He told us all about the park, what he does there, and answered every rules question we had. Years later, we still cross paths often and have become good friends.
Our week on that dock was great. It’s free, and you’re allowed ten days at a time in the winter. We traveled into Gustavus every day to see friends who lived there. We borrowed a car “Cecelia” — one of Dylan’s dream cars — provisioned, visited, and got all our socializing out of the way before heading up‑bay to be alone for three weeks.
Our first stop was North Sandy Cove, where we immediately heard wolves howling and whales spouting. It felt like spring with new shoots and flowers everywhere. That first night at anchor was a bit emotional as we were finally living the dream we had been working so long towards. The next morning, in still mist, we crossed paths with a pod of orcas and continued all the way across the bay to Blue Mouse Cove. We stayed there a couple of rainy days, hanging out and doing projects. We only saw one boat the whole time.
Next, we headed to Reid Inlet — our favorite spot in GLBA so far. Reid felt like stepping back into winter. It was May 3rd and there was six to eight feet of snow right at water level. I was genuinely bummed I didn’t bring my snowboard. We cross‑country skied all over and soaked up the sun. This is where the boiler was finally commissioned, about a week after our last shower. Hot water at last.
From there we ventured out to see the famous Margerie Glacier and the Grand Pacific. The weather was perfect, and we spent the morning weaving through scattered icebergs — blue‑white chunks drifting everywhere — while the sun bounced off the water so brightly it felt like we were sailing through a field of mirrors.
We hung back until a cruise ship cleared out, and once it had bulldozed a path through the bigger bergs, we eased in behind it to get closer to the face. The bay was calm and bright, and we watched in the sunshine as massive slabs of ice tore off the glacier and crashed into the water while hearing grinding and clinking of bergy bits rubbing against each other all around us
We ventured in front of Lamplugh Glacier and took some awesome photos, then peeked around the corner into the most magnificent ice‑filled fjord with Johns Hopkins Glacier spilling into it. If you catch the right angle and get clear weather, you’re looking straight up into the Fairweather Mountains — a full panorama of jagged peaks rising above the ice. It’s one of those views that doesn’t look real. Snow, ice, and rock forever.
Our last stop was Sandy Cove for a few days, where we saw a wolf and had a close encounter with a coyote on the beach. We watched whales feeding, bears swimming, and more puffins and gulls than we’d ever seen. The amount of life Glacier Bay holds and protects is incredible.
It’s too bad that “protecting” Glacier Bay originally meant forcibly removing the Indigenous people who lived and subsisted there for thousands of years. Years later, I met an Elder named George who was one of those people. Hearing his stories and seeing the place through his eyes added a weight and perspective that stays with me every time we return to the park.
We headed back to what we now all call Gustavus visited with friends new and old and prepared to head towards the outer coast.
