Tracy Arm Fjord
John Muir, the great naturalist, writer and conservation advocate, once remarked that “The world though made is yet being made.” His acute observation skills regarding glacial environments led him to make this statement. During our day in Tracy Arm Fjord, one of the most inspiring and dramatic landscapes in all of Southeast Alaska, we saw firsthand exactly what he meant.
But before we could even enter the fjord, we were treated to the early morning calisthenics of an exuberant young whale repeatedly breaching and waving its long pectoral fins. Why do they do it? There are theories but no one knows for sure. Perhaps it was reveling in its ability to put on such a show, or maybe it was just finding joy in its elemental whaleness. No matter the reason, it was a great way to start our day.
We sailed into the fjord following the path of the retreating glacier that carved this water-filled valley. We could see all around us the evidence that obviates John Muir’s claim. Water in all its forms was working patiently and persistently. Plants, animals and people were all contributing to the on-going project of landscape change, altering the environment in myriad ways. What a gift to indulge our senses in experiencing these sometimes subtle, sometimes profound forces of creation.
John Muir, the great naturalist, writer and conservation advocate, once remarked that “The world though made is yet being made.” His acute observation skills regarding glacial environments led him to make this statement. During our day in Tracy Arm Fjord, one of the most inspiring and dramatic landscapes in all of Southeast Alaska, we saw firsthand exactly what he meant.
But before we could even enter the fjord, we were treated to the early morning calisthenics of an exuberant young whale repeatedly breaching and waving its long pectoral fins. Why do they do it? There are theories but no one knows for sure. Perhaps it was reveling in its ability to put on such a show, or maybe it was just finding joy in its elemental whaleness. No matter the reason, it was a great way to start our day.
We sailed into the fjord following the path of the retreating glacier that carved this water-filled valley. We could see all around us the evidence that obviates John Muir’s claim. Water in all its forms was working patiently and persistently. Plants, animals and people were all contributing to the on-going project of landscape change, altering the environment in myriad ways. What a gift to indulge our senses in experiencing these sometimes subtle, sometimes profound forces of creation.
