Tracy Arm & William Cove
This first day of our voyage, the National Geographic Sea Bird quietly glided over glassy water through Tracy Arm, a narrow fjord about 50 miles south of Juneau. The grandeur of these glacially carved mountains combined with the peacefulness of the reflective water and languidness of this brilliant morning quelled all irrelevant thoughts. We focused on this wondrous moment in time.
However, the closer we approached the face of South Sawyer glacier and, perhaps, after a cup of coffee our blissful lethargy transformed into excited anticipation. Like jewels, drifting icebergs gave subtle hints of what was to come. We began to spot the dark bodies of harbor seals hauled out on icebergs. Fortunately, Captain David Kay was extra careful in steering the ship as far away from these innocent beings as possible so they could continue to nurse their young in peace.
Finally, just before breakfast, the majestic blue-tinged spires of the face of South Sawyer glacier came into view. Here, we did our best to take in as much of this beauty as possible. This was no easy task. John Muir’s words in describing his own experiences here in 1880 still ring true. “Amid so crowded a display of novel beauty it was not easy to concentrate the attention long enough on any portion of it without giving more days and years than our lives can afford.”
To draw us even further into this wild and magical landscape, hiking and kayaking in William Cove allowed us a more up-close and intimate experience. Freshly blooming flowers seemed to coquettishly offer themselves to us. The packed white flowers of the false lily of the valley proudly stood erect well above a carpet of lush green leaves. The blooms of chocolate lilies shyly peeked up at us under rich brown petals. However, the mawkish odor of rotting flesh (the chocolate lilies smell like carrion to attract flies, their pollinators) sublimated any intentions to experience these beauties beyond just looking at them.
Stepping into the forest and kayaking in rough water gave us a true feel for wild Alaska. In the forest, bear scat lined the trail. In effort to keep Mr. Bear at bay, our naturalists shouted, “Yo Bear!” In the cove, happy voices squealed as waves crashed against the bows of kayaks.
All of our senses fully engaged, we began our voyage into Southeast Alaska primed and ready for an experience of a lifetime.
