Day Three

The lodge

Fireweed

I slept like a rock in the little damp, green world where our tent was set up on beds of moss. We rose around 6 a.m. and walked up to the lodge to take a shower. Getting there, we learned the only shower is coin-operated, so I ran back to the campsite for quarters. I ran back up to the lodge only to learn I hadn't brought enough. It took four quarters for a five-minute shower. After running back and forth again, I jumped in and realized I'd forgotten my soap, so I quickly showered with shampoo. When I was finally dressed and ready, I ran to the dock to meet the boat that took us on a cruise of Glacier Bay. (The tickets cost $156 each, so I didn't want to miss that boat). The 9-hour cruise turned out to be well worth the price. Not only did we see glaciers but we also got to see the area's wildlife. We passed a group of sea otters floating on their backs in the water and saw puffins (black-and-white birds with toucan-like beaks). We looked back to shore and saw a Dall sheep staring down at us from a high cliff. The boat stopped at an island to pick up a group of kayakers. It appeared we were just in time. We found the nervous kayakers paddling in the water near the island as a bear watched them from the shore. We returned to the park around 4:30 p.m., had coffee at the lodge and went back to camp to eat and sleep.

Day Four

It rained all day. We spent the time doing laundry and trying to wait out the weather at the lodge.

Day Five

It was another rainy day, but we decided to make the most of our time and take a two-hour hike offered by the lodge. After the ranger checked to make sure we were wearing proper rain gear, she took us on a land-based tour of Glacier Bay. It was cool, and a mist was rising from the moss and ferns on the ground. The morning light was trying to peek its way around the massive trees as we hiked over muddy ground on trails that whip back and forth through the forest. At the end of one trail, we stopped in front of a lake and spotted a bear on the other side of the water.

Day Six

It was another cool, rainy day. In the evening, we decided to build a fire on the beach. I walked up to the restaurant at the lodge and brought back a few coffees with liqueur. As the drinks warmed us, we sat beside our fire and looked out into Glacier Bay. Clouds were rolling in and out, revealing the mountains in the distance. We could hear the whales splashing in the bay and the water sloshing against the rocky shore.