Blue Ice of Alaska

As the ship slowly cruised along the Tracey Arm Fjord in Alaska I couldn't believe my eyes. Blue ice!  I was in one of the lounges admiring the passing scenery: the waterfalls streaming down mountain slopes and the pine trees. The surface of the water was flat calm with the rugged mountains rising from it, the higher reaches with patches of snow or glaciers on them. At all levels were streaks of mist and puff balls of clouds.At the far end of the Fjord we would get our first close look at the North and South Sawyer glaciers which converge at that point.

The sight of a bright blue mini iceberg left me breathless. There was no way I could sit indoors and watch this phenomenon. I rushed to my cabin, donned warm clothes, grabbed the camera and hurried out on deck. Fortunately I also had a plastic hooded poncho with me - the rain was pouring down.

The contrast of the aquamarine water, lumps of white ice and the various shades of blue ice against the granite grey and dark green of the mountains created an eerie atmosphere.

The rain was a nuisance but didn't deter me. I was fortunate enough to be seeing one of the great wonders of the world.

Deeper into the Fjord we majestically sailed with more and more ice-floes about us - some with seals posing on them. Then dead ahead, the glacier looking like an enormous pile of dirty blue sheets, backed by dark mountains and, further back, snow-capped ones. As we drew nearer the glacier became less like a pile of laundry, more like dirty blue rough icing.

As I stared, a chunk fell from on high into the sea with a huge splash which I couldn't hear. Ghostly. It then rolled over and over and over causing minor tidal waves until it settled. When lumps fall from the edge of the glacier it is calving - giving birth to an ice-floe?

Since that cruise I have seen several glaciers but never in my favourite colour.  When taking an Alaska cruise don’t despair if the weather is dull and rainy – you might be lucky enough to see some blue ice.