Yesterday, the sun shone and there was little wind. There were ravenous sea lions, feeding humpback whales, and one harbor seal so bewildered that it swam, apparently unaware of our existence, within feet of my friend’s boat. There were also enough silver salmon in the boat cooler to get us through the winter.

Today, there is no sun, much wind, and pounding rain. Out here on the glacial moraine, there are no whales or sea lions or seals. There is a little dog, wrapped against the rain. Nothing dampens her enthusiasm. We walk along the river, where fog partially obscures a raft full of tourists. I wonder that these folks left their bacchanalian-like cruise ship surroundings to float through fog that blocks the views they paid for of the glacier and its mountain cohorts.