Glacier getaways just a plane, boat or walk away

SEWARD, Alaska (AP) -- There are thousands of glaciers in Alaska, and seeing some up close will surely be a highlight of any trip you might be planning to the 49th state this summer. You can see glaciers from the deck of a ship, paddling in a canoe, by floatplane or helicopter, or by driving and hiking to a park.Here are some options: FROM YOUR CRUISE SHIP Most Alaska cruises include a day at sea sailing past glaciers. Some itineraries take you past the Hubbard Glacier, others take you through Glacier Bay. Photo opportunities abound. This is a regular part of your cruise, so you don't pay extra and you don't have to sign up for anything.You'll likely see the glaciers calving -- where sections of them crack and float away or crumble into the sea. Calving is a normal process for glaciers, but it has been accelerated by climate change."Anytime you have a glacier exiting into a lake or body of water, there is the prospect that it will calve," said Roman Motyka, an associate professor of geology and geophysics at the University of Alaska in Fairbanks. "But as the climate has warmed, glaciers have melted and become thinner and more susceptible to calving."Motyka said that about 90 percent of Alaska's glaciers are retreating. Among those most often seen by summer tourists in Alaska, Mendenhall and Exit Glacier are retreating; Hubbard and Taku are advancing. SOURCE OF THIS STORY