Alaska Bits --20-- College Fjord

We left Whittier in the late evening with the treat of a fireworks display, as we were the last ship of the season. I am fortunate to wake early, because I was quickly out onthe balcony, and soon out on deck where description of what we were seeing by the onboard naturalist could be heard.

College Fjord, located between Whittier and Valdez in the northern Prince William Sound, was discovered in1899 by the Harriman expedition.

The expedition was funded by a grant from one of the Ivy League colleges, and glaciers were named for those august institutions. When funding was running out, Harriman named the next glacier for the president of the college, and a new grant was forthcoming.

A fjord is a long, narrow arm of the sea bordered by steep cliffs: usually formed by glacial erosion. (Dictionary.com)

Among the glaciers on College Fjord are Harvard, Vassar, Bryn Mawr, Holyoke, Smith, and Yale.

We weren't the only ones enjoying the view.