Whittier: My 26 Glaciers Wonder

The ship squeezes through the 2.7-mile single-lane tunnel with the train tracks — surreal. Whittier is tiny and weird in the best way. We boarded the high-speed catamaran for the 5.5-hour 26 Glaciers tour and it delivered.

Saw more tidewater glaciers in one day than most people see in a lifetime — Surprise, Harriman, Barry, Cascade, Yale, Harvard — calving constantly. The captain pulled right up to icebergs and scooped chunks for onboard margaritas. Sea otters everywhere floating on their backs like tourists, kittiwakes diving, humpbacks breaching in distance.

Lunch was prime rib sandwich on deck while drifting in College Fjord at golden hour — 16 named glaciers glowing orange.