Sand Bay & Tracy Arm Fjord
What a wonderful morning and beach for a party! A cool clear river with a deep pool, a steep cliff to jump in from and a fine sandy beach to roll, cavort and bask in the morning sun. Such were the goings-ons before we arrived at Sand Bay. A family of river otters had frolicked on the sandy shore before our arrival. Their distinctive tracks told of their romping back and forth into the water, footprints, tail drags and sand pits gave evidence to a raucous gathering. Prints of eagle, wolf, raven and otter had our attention until our focus was diverted and riveted to a figure upstream. It was a tall dark silhouette, it was a moose!
The moose was standing perhaps 100 yards up the river, sniffing the air, floppy radar-like ears actively scanning as it sauntered on long-stilted legs across the shallow water. It may have been late for the otter party, but it was right on schedule for all the hikers to get a great look at an Alaskan moose.
Further investigations led us to bear tracks. Their size and configuration along with our location told us they were black bear. A curious pug mark with a leading edge of toenails was identified as porcupine track. With a fertile anthropomorphic imagination, a story of a great party could germinate; the porcupine played the saxophone, its quills standing on end with each breath, the moose on drums, the eagle wearing dark glasses played bass (remember, raptors know they’re cool) the wolf howled vocals, raven played harmonica, the bear played the banjo and the otters jitterbugged in the sand.
The morning sun warmed our senses to the verge of utter silliness, as the suggestion went out that we should go swimming! In a few minutes we had beach towels ready and a small group of (fool?)hardy swimmers jumped into the 42.7 degrees water. Much hooting, hollering and cheering erupted from the swimmers as well as from the spectators lining the rail.
Tracy Arm Fjord shone in all its splendor this afternoon. We crept through a fjord full of icebergs, bergy bits and growlers, all calved from Sawyer and South Sawyer glaciers. Warmed by the afternoon sun, we basked on deck as the geologic and glacial history of the fjord unfolded before us. The patience and efforts of the Captain came to fruition as we turned the last corner and the sapphire blue face of South Sawyer glacier came into view.
Feeling satiated with our week of incredible weather accompanied by exceptional wildlife sightings, we gathered for our farewell dinner. Then came the killer whales. We emptied the dining room to watch this small pod repeatedly surface nearby with an occasional spy-hop, a few tail slaps to the water and a much appreciated breach!
Our week in Southeast Alaska has been simply amazing, a few words on this page may summarize our experiences, but they are just a tickle of a reminder which we will summon for years to come.
Humpback
by Maddie, age 12; Matt , age 11 & John Dillabough, age 9
Huge
Unbelievable
Mammal
Protective
Breaching
Alaska
Communicative
Kind
Orca
by Maddie, age 12; Matt , age 11 & John Dillabough, age 9
Organized
Rambunctious
Carnivore
Amazing
An Alaskan Limerick
By Benjamin Sellers, age 10
There once was a guy named Sven
Who had a friend named Ben
They explored with some ships
They ate herring and chips
And they never put bears in a pen
Layers of Alaska
By Maya, age 11; Sukanya, age 13, Anisha Dayal & Laura Petcavage
Seals tan on the ice
Icebergs float on the water
Orcas under all
