A lone kayaker glides across the still, icy waters of Tarr Inlet, framed by the immense presence of Margerie Glacier in the distance, its towering face of deep blue and white ice stretching across the horizon. The scene looks intimate, almost as if she could reach out and touch the glacier’s jagged front, yet appearances are misleading in this immense Alaskan landscape—the kayaker is actually about half a mile away from the glacier’s towering terminus, emphasizing the vast scale of the inlet and the glacier itself. Margerie is a tidewater glacier, meaning its ice flows directly into the fjord, where it interacts with the saltwater and floating icebergs. These glaciers are dynamic, constantly advancing and retreating as chunks of ice calve from the face, producing thunderous crashes and sending massive icebergs into the water below. The glacier’s surface is a maze of crevasses and ridges, recording the stresses of movement as ice slowly but relentlessly flows downhill under its own weight. The kayaker’s presence highlights not only the dramatic beauty of Glacier Bay but also the sheer power and scale of glacial processes, where ice, water, and gravity combine to shape a landscape that is simultaneously fragile and awe-inspiring. Photographer: Sean Neilson