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003. Kayaking Aialik Bay

Kenai Fjords National Park

By Ryan Harrison

November 7^th, 2016

August 24, 2015 // 5:30A in Seward, AK

Cold pierces the air. The plan is to take a water taxi to Aialik Bay and spend two days exploring the coves and glaciers by kayak. The sun rises as the boat departs Miller’s Landing.

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003. Kayaking Aialik Bay

Quicksand Cove

First stop is Quicksand Cove. The beach is littered with salmon carcasses and gluttonous seagulls prowl the sky above. I like how my boots sound on the stones. Seals break the surface of the water to investigate.

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003. Kayaking Aialik Bay

003. Kayaking Aialik Bay

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003. Kayaking Aialik Bay

003. Kayaking Aialik Bay

003. Kayaking Aialik Bay

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003. Kayaking Aialik Bay

A stream flows from the glacier above out to the cove, and it is saturated with weary salmon. Their hours are limited. It’s a visceral experience to see the fish so close to their end, yet they continue to vainly swim against the current. The remains of their cold-blooded comrades decorate the shore. In the distance a pair of black bears casually stroll out of the trees and snatch fish out of the water. They have no reason to hurry.

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003. Kayaking Aialik Bay

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003. Kayaking Aialik Bay

003. Kayaking Aialik Bay

holgate Glacier

Thunder booms across the water on the approach to Holgate Glacier as chunks of ice the size of houses calve. A rock mound stands near the glacier providing a throne to witness the massive expanse of ice.

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003. Kayaking Aialik Bay

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003. Kayaking Aialik Bay

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003. Kayaking Aialik Bay

003. Kayaking Aialik Bay

Pederson lagoon

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003. Kayaking Aialik Bay

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003. Kayaking Aialik Bay

Write your story here. (Optional)

003. Kayaking Aialik Bay

Write your story here. (Optional)

003. Kayaking Aialik Bay

Write your story here. (Optional)

003. Kayaking Aialik Bay

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003. Kayaking Aialik Bay

Aialik glacier

In the native language Aialik means “a special place.” This seems appropriate when confronted with the enormity of the glacier. It is a humbling experience to look upon something so immense, not just in the physical domain but temporally as well. The ice serves as a link to eons past, a study in scale beyond my comprehension. It feels otherworldly.

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The mound of dirt on the left is evidence of the summer sun’s sculpting of the glacier: the gap was solid ice just three months prior.

003. Kayaking Aialik Bay

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003. Kayaking Aialik Bay

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003. Kayaking Aialik Bay

003. Kayaking Aialik Bay

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meltwater

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003. Kayaking Aialik Bay

003. Kayaking Aialik Bay

003. Kayaking Aialik Bay

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003. Kayaking Aialik Bay

Footnotes

Sony a7R // Sony 16-35mm F4 // Tascam DR-07 MKII

FootNotes

Sony a7R // Sony 16-35mm F4 // Tascam DR-07 MKII

© 2026 Ryan Harrison

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