Our day began amidst the glory of the sheer, glacial carved walls of the Endicott Arm – a landmark experience of Southeast Alaska. Navigating through the fjord, we quickly lost count of the waterfalls as they passed us by. Continuing on to our destination, we reached the Dawes Glacier to witness the snaking ice that rose nearly two hundred feet out of the water at its face, only to continue on to disappear into the high mountains. Taking a brief reprieve for lunch, we set off again in our Zodiacs to explore the aptly named Ford’s Terror inlet. Lucky for us, we were not subjected to the breaking waves that the original explorers had to endure. Rather, we were treated to sweeping views of the landscape, as well as sightings of bald eagles and a mink rummaging within the mussels, exposed by the dropping tide.
Leaving the walls of the fjord, we set out in search of wildlife and were quickly rewarded by a lone Brown Bear, soon followed by a sow and her cub. Spending nearly an hour in silent awe, we watched from the bow as the cub played and the mother ate the coastal grass. Journeying further, we came upon a grouping of humpback whales feeding in the slowly setting sun. Days like this are impossible to orchestrate. They only happen to those who are willing to make the journey in order to make it happen. And to think this is only the beginning of our voyage…
