Tracy Arm & Ford’s Terror Wilderness
What a beautiful day! This morning we woke up to a clear blue sky, towering fiord walls studded with green vegetation, and a milky blue pathway of water peppered with small pieces of ice, leading us toward South Sawyer Glacier at the end of the narrow inlet. The Tracy Arm - Ford’s Terror Wilderness area is part of the Tongass National Forest and is characterized by two long, narrow fiords that culminate in several tidewater glaciers. Endicott Arm is distinguished by Dawes Glacier and Tracy Arm was gouged out by a large glacier that has since been split into two, Sawyer and South Sawyer glaciers.
Our destination for the day was Tracy Arm and South Sawyer Glacier. We spent the morning in the Zodiacs, weaving around floating pieces of ice, watching the wide face of the glacier in hopes of seeing some calving, and catching brief glimpses of shy harbor seals as they poked their shiny heads out of the water. The Sawyer, South Sawyer, and Dawes glaciers all originate in the Stikine Ice Field, which straddles the Coast Mountains and reaches far back across the Canadian border. South Sawyer Glacier is roughly 25 miles long, three-quarters of a mile wide, and up to 200 feet tall at its face. In the past several years the glacier has retreated significantly, leaving large expanses of bare, scarred rock in its wake.
In the afternoon we took advantage of the beautiful weather to get a closer look at the floating ice sculptures and steep fiord walls. Zodiacs are wonderful vehicles for exploration, but kayaks allow for a more peaceful and intimate experience with nature. Since there is no beach to land on in Tracy Arm, we loaded the kayaks from the fantail and set off to investigate nearby attractions. Whether interested in paddling from iceberg to iceberg or simply sitting in one place and taking in the scenery, kayaking in Tracy Arm is a spectacular opportunity to truly appreciate the beauty and wildness of Ford’s Terror Wilderness.
As the week aboard the National Geographic Sea Bird drew to an end, we reminisced and reflected on the past several days with a slideshow of images that brought back memories of bubble-net feeding humpbacks, brown bears fishing for salmon, orange-beaked puffins, and countless other remarkable encounters. Captain David Kay joined us in the dining room for a farewell dinner and thanks to all for such a wonderful and memorable voyage.
