Tracy Arm
This morning we awoke near the end of Tracy Arm, a spectacular fjord more than 30 miles long. We made the final approach to one-quarter mile from the face of South Sawyer Glacier by Zodiac; the smaller boats are easier to maneuver around the many icebergs and countless small chunks of ice.
The glacier was massive at the fjord’s end: stunningly blue, topped by tall towers of white ice. The glacier seemed alive: it made thunderous noises, and ice blocks the size of cars tumbled off its face. The scale of it all was difficult to grasp, but we knew that the face was as tall as a 15 to 20-story building.
Meanwhile, dozens, perhaps hundreds of harbor seals rested on pieces of flat ice; occasionally a seal lifted its head but most seemed unaffected by the glacier’s noises, calvings, and waves that resulted. Arctic terns flew overhead with small fish in their bills. We reached into the water and picked up pieces of floating ice. Scientists estimate it fell as snow 500 years ago, but now, some pieces are as beautifully clear as fine crystal. We held fist-sized pieces, and looked through them—Nature’s art.
In the afternoon the ship moved a couple of miles away from the dense ice floes, and many people kayaked. We paddled around a large iceberg, and next to the sheer rock cliffs of the fjord. There were several waterfalls tumbling down crevices in the rocks, and small clumps of vegetation with flowers clung to the rock faces. Some of us were surprised when a pair of harbor porpoises swam near our kayaks.
Late in the afternoon a large contingent of guests went swimming in the water of Tracy Arm, and the water was an extremely brisk 34.6 degrees F! Some people dove, some did creative jumps into the freezing water, but all got out of the water very quickly. Big smiles, dry towels and hot chocolate were plentiful after the plunge. Everybody was very happy to have done it!
Following our Farewell Dinner, we enjoyed a beautiful sunset. What a fantastic, full and memorable day to end our week together in Southeast Alaska.
