Portage

Our trip to the Portage glacier was a bit impromptu, as we hadn't planned on taking this trip and it wasn't offered in the shore excursion package. Since our flight was so late in the day we hand time to take the excursion. We were motor coached (imagine that) from the cruise ship to the Portage Glacier tourist center. The Portage glacier is small like the Shoupe glacier, but it doesn't empty into the ocean. It empties into a lake.

While we waited to board the tour boat, we watched a man in a small outboard powered boat. The boat was maybe 15 feet long. He motored out into the lake, to move a small iceberg. The boat he was piloting was named Jaws, and it had a curious jagged tooth device at the bow. He piloted right up to the iceberg, butted right up against it, then applied maximum throttle and proceeded to push the iceberg. Not very fast mind you, but he did indeed move it - no faster than walking speed. But I was impressed that such a small craft could move something so large. The iceberg was not titanic size, but was easily as big as a Greyhound bus.

The captain of our boat looked just like the Morton's fisherman. He couldn't have been more of a stereotype. He wore a black wool jacket with the collar turned up. You just new the big round black buttons on his coat had anchors etched upon them. He wore the bright yellow rain cap with the brim flipped up in front and down in back. He had a mustache and beard and you just knew that he had a pipe smoldering away in the bridge of the boat.

The Portage Glacier boat trip was about 1 hour in length and basically we were ferried out to the glacier, stayed for 15 minutes or so and then ferried back. Not a really huge excitement factor. We didn't see any calving while we were there. There were several nice waterfalls to view on the trip to and from, but otherwise, not a whole lot to see, other than the exceptional virgin landscape.

The weather was pretty poor. Completely overcast, with drizzle and light rain. The temp was in the high 40's and a bit blustery. I only had Velvia left at this time. I shot some on the 28-105 and the rest on the 100-400. I did use the monopod here, and it was helpful - again bracing myself between the railing and the wall of the boat. After our boat trip, we were motor coached to a small trinket store/café/hotel. Afterwards, it was off to the Anchorage airport to claim our luggage and wait for hours for our flight home.

	Portage Glacier cresting over the mountain
	Portage Glacier
	Portage Glacier
	Portage Glacier
	Portage Glacier
	Water fall at Portage Glacier
	Water fall at Portage Glacier
	Water fall at Portage Glacier
	Water fall at Portage Glacier

	Jaws approaching the iceberg
	Jaws moving the iceberg