Our ship cruises through the turquoise water of the Glacier Bay. My mouth gapes at the sheer size of the mountains lining the shores like the Great Wall of China—only taller. The clouds form a thick shield protecting the top of the mountains from my vision. Snow, still clean and untouched, sits on top of the mountains like a freshly washed bed sheet keeping the rocky, grey mountains warm. The view looks like something on another planet, or in a computer created movie scene. It could be a painting, with smooth brush strokes forming the rocky regions of the mountains. Seeing such a beautiful monstrous formation sends chills through me like someone is rubbing their cold hand on my back.

As I gawk at the at the beauty of mountains flowing down to the ocean, a white dot appears. It looks like the chunks of ice that speckle the blue glacier water of the fjord. I strain to see what it is from the balcony of our cruise ship. It is a boat, the size of a yacht, cruising past us—a rowboat next to the towering mountains. Ripples from the two boats spread across the almost motionless water. The rest of the water is still—like a mannequin modeling clothes in a store.

As the wind howls throughout the top of the ship, I am warmed by the rush of beauty flowing through me. I hold up my camera and the click of the shutter breaks the silence, but only for a second. The only sound is the wind; the mountains singing to welcome us to their home.

This is the most unforgettable experience I have had in my life. I have seen natural formations, but none like the glacier carved fjords snaking through the mountains. The scene is filled with turquoise water and the grey and white mountains surrounded by fluffy white clouds at the top. Eagles circle the sky looking for fish, seals rest on ice chunks floating by, and whales surfacing for air. Nature comes together in one place to form the natural beauty of Alaska. I have never felt such a connection with place in nature like this. It is truly the last frontier—the place to experience the wonders of our world.