Day 18: Seward, Alaska

Dad made a point of including Seward in our itinerary because he wanted to take a cruise out to see whales and glaciers. However, it was clear when we woke up that the weather was not going to cooperate and we would just waste our money if we went. The fog had rolled in and reminded me of San Francisco. Instead, we headed back into town. I was disappointed and wondered what we might do in such a sleepy town.

Fog in Turnagain Arm Bay, between Anchorage and Seward. Not ideal cruising weather.

We started at the aquarium, which received a favorable review in The Milepost. It was funded by the Exxon-Valdez settlement and was very impressive! Their bird room was the most interesting, especially the puffins who seemed to want to perform for us. They would swim/fly right up to us and surprise us with a splash. Then you could go down a level and watch them dive at the fish below. There were other two-story tanks that house massive sea lions and some cute harbor seals. Desmond was a bit scared of them, but Trudy was mesmerized. Desmond enjoyed the touch tanks, where he could touch a lot of little creatures, including starfish and sea cucumbers.

Petting starfish

Charismatic puffins

Seals and sea lions

At the Seward Aquarium

Cool hotel in Seward; rent a train car!

After the aquarium, we headed over to the harbor to walk around a few shops, watched the fishing boats start to come in and the fishermen showed Desmond their catch of the day, and we ate some ice cream. 

The harbor in Seward

Boats in Seward's harbor

Dad had been told we could walk up a mountain to see a glacier, since we didn’t take the cruise, so that is what we did. We drove out to the foot of the mountain where Exit Glacier is located and Dad, Tommy, Desmond, and I started walking. Mom stayed back with sleeping Trudy. We took a stroller for Desmond, because the path was paved and looked like the mile hike up the mountain wouldn’t be too strenuous. We were accompanied by several other hikers and spotted the many warnings of bears in the area and Tommy and I had quiet conversations about what we read regarding what to do in case of a bear attack. We didn’t want to scare Desmond.

Exploring a glacial stream

When we were about a third of the way up the mountain, a friendly ranger alerted us that the trail would become more difficult and we probably would not be able to bring our stroller up and that we shouldn’t leave it because the scent would attract bears. We decided to go ahead and see how it was. Indeed, the trail did become rough. We took Desmond out of his stroller about a half mile in because we had to cross a creek on a narrow bridge and I didn’t want to dump them both in the water. Tommy pushed the stroller up the rocky trail and carried it, when necessary. Other hikers, I’m sure, thought we were crazy for lugging the stroller all the way to the top. Desmond, we noticed, had wet through his pants, but I didn’t bring anything to change him, so he just had to hike wet. He was a trooper, though, and hiked all the way up on his own without being carried and he loved it. He chatted and observed everything around him and was genuinely upset when I told him we couldn’t hike any further. Aside from the wet pants, it felt like a parenting win.

This bridge is plenty wide for our stroller!

Um, yeah... trail not meant for strollers, even if it has bike tires

Officially a mountain climber

A brief respite before heading down

Checking out Exit Glacier

We got to the glacier (not close enough to touch it or walk on it) and the air was noticeably cooler and breezy. It felt good because we were hot! I was thankful I had worn my tennis shoes, for the first time the entire trip because the rocky trail was not an easy hike. The glacier was beautiful, with streaks of blue running through the white ice (I heard this is because the ice absorbs all colors of the rainbow except the blue, which is why it is visible to us). Desmond was a great hiker back down as well, and I offered to handle the stroller on our descent. The hike was a good one, the kind that leaves you satisfyingly tired when you are done. We hiked 2.3 miles each way, 2475 feet. I was proud of Desmond for doing it.

We made it to the top! 2475 elevation

Mom and Trudy back at the RV