Endicott Arm & Williams Cove
We woke up to a perfect “summer” day - blue skies and sunshine and awe-inspiring views in every direction. While we slept, the National Geographic Sea Bird had repositioned from state capital of Juneau out to the Tracy Arm – Ford’s Terror Wilderness. Being in the middle of nowhere took on a new and fabulous meaning. No signs of humans in any direction we looked, only the beautiful glacier-sculpted fjord and the serrated wall of blue and white… the sculptor itself, Dawes Glacier. Some of us had coffee in hand and others had cameras. All of us were out on the bow to soak in the beauty before going to breakfast. This was the way to wake up.
In mid-morning, making our way back through Endicott Arm, we arrived at the entrance to Ford’s Terror. Ford, a member of an 1889 surveying party, came out of the narrow fjord opening at the wrong tide and ended up in huge, terrifying waves. Today we were here at slack tide and found our Zodiac ride calm and peaceful. We marveled at the towering cliffs, granite domes, glacial striations, and stunning waterfalls. Our own coastal Yosemite Valley that was formed in the exact same way.
When our explorations of Ford’s Terror were completed some of us decided to celebrate the first day of summer with a swim. Okay, to be honest, not much actual swimming was done, except to get back to the boat to get out of the water. But, eight hardy and enthusiastic (some might say foolish) shipmates dove into the 41.9 F waters to continue the occasional National Geographic Sea Bird Summer Solstice ritual started a few years ago.
In the late afternoon we had our first chance to go ashore to see the temperate rainforest up close. The difference between being on the beach and stepping into the forest was amazing. Just two or three steps and we were in a different world. It was lush, green, mossy and quiet. It made us slow down and take a deep breath and feel like we were visiting a sacred place. And in many ways we were.
This was a fine way to start summer and to start our explorations of Southeast Alaska. Happy Solstice.
