Quite a sight ...  watching the birth of an iceberg.
Quite a sight ... watching the birth of an iceberg. Photo: Alamy
Aboard a luxury small ship, Louise Goldsbury encounters native Alaskans, teeming wildlife and nascent icebergs.

Only 10 passengers are up on deck, but each stands hypnotised by the vision of this sub-zero sanctuary. Alaskan Dream, smaller than the Manly ferry, has prime position in front of a skyscraper- high glacier, with not another ship in sight.

Our native Alaskan expedition leader, Kevin Skeek, points out the place where the kilometre-wide mass is most likely to calve. We believe him - his Tlingit name is Kaadushtoo, which means "the breaking of the glacier". Passed down from former leaders of his clan, it is also the name of one of the hanging glaciers in nearby Johns Hopkins Inlet.