One of the largest in Alaska, the Hubbard Glacier is a tidewater glacier that stretches from Yukon territory in Canada to the head of Yakutat Bay, Alaska. It is one of the few in the world that is advancing, stretching more than 76 miles in distance, with a face of 6 miles in width and 300 ft in height. So to say we are only witnessing the tip of the icebergs is quite appropriate!

The floating icebergs, as large as 3-story building, can last for several weeks before they melt into ice water. The colors of the icebergs vary from white to blue to green: white holds more trapped air bubbles; blue are dense and cold; greenish-black are from the glacier bottoms; and dark-striped brown carry gravel and rocks from joining of tributory glaciers. The height of a floating iceberg depends on the ice density, water density and the debris it carries.

The show of large ice cliffs calving into the bay, generating "thunders", and sending over a 100 ft high splash in the air is quite spectacular. The distance between a cruiseliner and the face of the glacier is determined by the weather condition and the activity level of the glacier at the time. The captain "docked" our ship probably about a couple of miles from the glacier so we can get a "close" look. As these pictures show, it is very difficult to get a perspective of the sheer size of the Hubbard Glacier, the Valerie Glacier, Haenker Glacier and Turner Glacier.