Exit Glacier

I was happily greeted this morning by the suns bright shining rays, which could only mean one thing: a trip to Exit Glacier in Seward. After a quick shower and some breakfast, Zoey and I loaded up the car and headed out. The trip takes a little under 2.5 hours, though you hardly notice the time pass, and takes you down the winding Seward Scenic Byway along Alaska's coastline. After passing Girdwood (where Alyeska ski resort is located), the inlet gives way to curving rivers and rising mountains erupting from centuries old glaciers. Had I stopped at every roadside picture area, we would have never made it before sunset.

One stop I did force myself to take was at Beluga Point where I saw, what else, beluga whales. A grouping of about 15-20 were enjoying the high tide (the tide in Alaska is 36 feet, the highest on the continent). In the pictures they look like white bubbles sticking out of the water.

For those of you who did not know, dogs are not allowed to take the trail up to Exit Glacier. I parked my car, cracked the windows for Zoey and set out toward the trail. Glacier Exit has several different trail options, one can take the 3.6 mile hike to the upper part of the glacier, or a short 0.6 mile walk to the handicap accessible glacier view area. Due to the bum knee, I opted for the shorter route (leaving me something to look forward to on my next excursion).I couldn't post all of my pictures on the blog, but they are all under the Seward album on my facebook page so you should check it out!