Glacier Bay Beauty

Glacier Bay is a natural wonder on the Southeast coast of Alaska. Back in the ice age, large glaciers were created in the Northern waters of the globe. As the ice age thawed out, so did the glaciers. In an inlet of the Alaskan coast the glaciers thawed out to form a bay. Glacier Bay got its name not just because of its history as a glacier, but because of the immense glaciers which still exist surrounding the bay. 

Glacier Bay was established as a national monument in 1925 by President Calvin Coolidge, and is part of Glacier Bay National Park. The park stretches from Gustavus to Juneau and is part of a 25 million acre World Heritage Site, one of our nation's largest. Glacier Bay is visited by thousands of cruise ships yearly and a popular spot for kayaking and hiking. 

Glacier Bay is home to all sorts of incredible wildlife and stunning natural beauty. Both humpback and killer whales follow five different kinds of native salmon to the beautiful waters of Glacier Bay. Inland, it isn't uncommon to see both black and brown bears as well as glacier bears. There are also numerous types of birds unique to the area. Glacier Bay is also home to sea lions, seals and otters. The wildlife is one of the main things which attracts people to Glacier Bay.

Some say that visiting Glacier Bay National Park is like going back in time to the ice age. One of the wonders of glacier bay is its ability to make it seem like you have entered a whole different world from the one that you previously lived in. That is one of the most amazing things about traveling in general, and in Glacier Bay, not only have you entered a new world, but you've entered a whole new time period, too. Glacier Bay is undoubtedly one of the most beautiful places on Earth, and I know that it is on my bucket list.  

Sources:

http://www.elstonhill.com/sitebuilder/images/eGlacierBay_20_-800x614.jpg

http://www.gullcove.com/images/534_1727_southeastalaska_w_box.jpg

http://www.wallcoo.net/animal/2008_animal_1680_desktop_01/images/Harbor%20Seal%20Glacier%20Bay%20National%20Park%20Alaska.jpg

https://encrypted-tbn1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTsXe9LrGqyWuyMJOt6Lr2yc_Dq5dPN4pRxMx-E3qWUxrUlbzv_

http://www.nps.gov/glba/planyourvisit/images/whaleside_1.jpg

http://media-cdn.tripadvisor.com/media/photo-s/01/03/6c/23/glacier-bay-alaska.jpg

http://www.alaska.com/glacier-bay/

http://www.nps.gov/glba/naturescience/index.htm

Paradise Under the Sea

Paradise Under the Sea

The great barrier reef is one of the seven wonders of the world, it can actually be seen from space. The great barrier reef takes up 344,400 square kilometers and is approximately the size of the United Kingdom, Switzerland and Holland combined. It stretches down the northeastern side of Australia and is home to over 3000 coral reefs and 6000 continental islands. The reef can be as deep as 2000 meters and can be as wide as 250 kilometers. It is easily one of the most beautiful places on earth.

According to the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Association, the reef possesses over 30 species of whales and dolphins, 133 types of sharks and rays and 1625 types of fish. These different species have been referenced  in movies such as Finding Nemo. Some of the more famous species are the sea turtles. There are numerous varieties of turtles which lay their eggs on the shores of Australia and spend the majority of their lives swimming through the ocean. They are one of the most graceful animals on the planet.

Another interesting species on the barrier reef is the dugong, a relative of the manatee. These fluke - tailed, graceful animals, like the manatee, are also distant relatives of the elephant. The dugong is a large, vegetarian mammal that grazes for plants on the bottom of the ocean. They can be found in the waters from South Africa to Australia and are often targeted by hunters. Now they are protected by law.

The Great Barrier Reef is one of the most incredible places to see the world of marine life in action. It is one of the most sought after places to scuba dive and snorkel. The diverse wildlife attracts thousands of tourists each year to explore the creatures that the reef possesses. Unfortunately, all of the boats and tourists are hurting the coral reefs that people will travel so far to see. This is happening to many coral reefs around the world. The coral is being destroyed by pollutants and that is hurting the entire ecosystem which relies on it so heavily. Take advantage of the opportunity to see the great barrier reef while you can, because it is one of the most beautiful places on earth.

Lexi Kierstead

Sources:
https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQKSThNtI7xicdY92XtHK7qihuFFsPu5SOSqBlfTCKJjFCJ3UiM
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1HdlbkWJYFxShwXvwBPrpoHgeJDy9CPFt2zUADL01gYlGPriXKw24y5V7uZixL4ejzkBRvaBqlYgHJ6tgftnBivpdVnCLtdlTU8eEzpa8oxCW4nai2aoCTp2MJOlNI9bYyhXZ0rwtI-0/s1600/Great_Barrier_Reef_Biodiversity.jpg
http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/dugong/
http://www.livescience.com/6290-great-barrier-reef.html
http://www.gbrmpa.gov.au/about-the-reef/facts-about-the-great-barrier-reef
http://www.greatbarrierreef.org

On Top of the World (Literally)

It's the most widely known mountain in the world. At 29,035 feet above sea level, Mt. Everest towers over the the Himalayas on the border of Nepal, Tibet and China. The highest temperature at the top of Mount Everest in the middle of July is 0 degrees Fahrenheit. This perfectly illustrates just how bitterly cold it is at the tip of the highest mountain in the world. Temperatures will reach as low as negative 76 degrees Fahrenheit. NEGATIVE. In addition to the biting cold, brave and daring climbers also have to endure the thinning oxygen levels at the extreme altitudes as they scale Everest.
Of the 4,000 different people who have attempted to scale Mt. Everest's terrifying terrain, only 660 have successfully reached its peak and 142 people have died trying. Climbing Everest is on many a person's bucket list, but why?  When revered mountain climber, George Mallory was asked why he was going to climb Mt. Everest in 1924, he responded with his famous answer, "Because its there". People want to climb Everest because of the danger, not in spite of it. Climbing Everest is the ultimate challenge. It tests your strength, your endurance, and your will - power. Scaling Everest tests you.

The first person to ever reach the top of Everest was either Sir Edmund Hillary or his climbing partner Tenzing Norgay in the year 1953. Neither will admit who was first. Like many before Hillary, and after for that matter, climbing Mt. Everest was a life - long dream. When he reached the the peak, he wrote: ". . . there was nothing above us but the sky . .  we had reached the top of the world."  Hillary and Norgay, were, on May 29 1953, looking down on every other person on the Earth. It is the tallest altitude any person can be at without leaving the ground. It's no wonder so many people feel the insatiable need to climb Everest. When standing on Mount Everest's Peak, you are literally on top of the world.


Lexi Kierstead


Sources:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/jan/11/uk.thairshaikh
http://www.jitourism.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/Mount-Everest.jpg
http://teacher.scholastic.com/activities/hillary/archive/evefacts.htm
http://ehistory.osu.edu/world/articles/articleview.cfm?AID=11