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Glacier Bay National Park | Part 3 | Johns Hopkins Inlet

After our Reid Glacier on-foot excursion (and brunch), we cruised around the corner to check out Lamplugh Glacier and then into Johns Hopkins Inlet. We took Airship, and Sam and Anna left Safe Harbour anchored in Reid Inlet and instead went in Sam’s dinghy. That way we’d have Airship as a base and could trade off passengers in the dinghy (able to go closer and be more nimble among the icebergs). The weather was steadily improving, too!

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Kevin said Margerie Glacier was his favorite ever glacier, until he saw Johns Hopkins Glacier. There really aren’t any words to describe how it feels to be in the presence of this kind of scenery…it was epic, and perhaps the most dramatic we’ve seen yet. The glacier is 250 feet tall, but the mountains behind it steal the show until you get up close and watch bus-sized chunks calving off into the icy blue water. Johns Hopkins is the only glacier in Glacier National Park that is still advancing/thickening (at the rate of about 15 feet per day!) Here are a ton of photos:

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This glacier is SUPER active, and you really do get the feel that it’s advancing and you sit and listen to the sharp cracking and popping. Incredible.

We saw (and heard, and felt) so much calving!

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It was late by the time we were done at Johns Hopkins Inlet, so we anchored again in Reid Inlet last night…this time in nice calm water. We had a little happy hour (in the sun!) on Sam’s top deck and then made salmon tacos and Deke Beans (black beans with garlic, peppers, hot sauce, etc….so good!).

The route from Reid Inlet up to Johns Hopkins Glacier and back to Reid Inlet (24.5 nautical miles, 4 hours 45 minutes):

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Dusk in Reid Inlet:

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The weather!!! As you can see, the weather has improved drastically. Today it’s clear sky and bright sun.

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We had a few iceberg visitors this morning:

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We left mid-day and cruised the 22 or so nautical miles down to Geikie Inlet.

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This little otter had both arms up and was barrel-rolling as he swam along…I watched him do about 12 in a row…”Yay! I’m an otter!!”

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We are now anchored in Shag Cove.

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We’ve seen multiple black bears (and cubs), and we have crab traps out (low expectations due to all the otters), and we even had a halibut on one of our lines, but it ate the bait and got away, so we’re having barbecue, asparagus, and scalloped potatoes for dinner tonight.

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Reid Inlet to Shag Cove in Geikie Inlet (24.7 nautical miles, 3 hours 31 minutes):

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Next stops: Elfin Cove and Pelican!