Aug 25, 5:00 p.m.

After a few more nervous hours sleep, I awoke and made breakfast feeling relieved to have come through the night intact. Today was and still is another crystal clear day!

I packed my gear and got underway about 9:30 a.m. hoping to find another safer spot to spend the night in the general vicinity of the glaciers. When I paddled out past the point and looked at the glacier, it appeared that a huge section had fallen off and indeed the water around me was full of many large icebergs. I would estimate that an acre or two had calved off during the night, undoubtedly accounting for the large wave that hit me last night. I thought about the timing of the wave, had it hit me an hour later (at high tide) I might not be here to wonder about such things. On the other hand, had it happened an hour or more earlier, I probably never would have known anything unusual occurred. I thought about my actions and my attitude of late trying to figure out if I had done anything to evoke the wrath of Mother Nature. I decided that I had made an error in judgment in my choice of campsite. I had passed up the safer higher if slightly less comfortable rock next to the falls for a flatter more comfortable spot. Putting my own personal comfort above consideration and respect for the natural forces around me.

After investigating two of the largest icebergs and taking many photos, I headed for North Sawyer Glacier. North Sawyer is less active than South Sawyer Glacier and there was very little ice floating in the water leading up to it. I paddled to within 1/3 of a mile of the glacier and sat watching it for about an hour or more, fascinated by the colors and cathedral-like forms of the columns of ice. This glacier looks more stately and dignified than North Sawyer which seems wild and unpredictable. Blue sky and 6,000 ft. mountains looming overhead, I’m really glad I made this trip alone. The longer I’m out here, the better I feel.