Tracy Arm and Williams Cove
Our first day of “Exploring Alaska’s Coastal Wilderness” was spent in Tracy Arm Fjord, one of the most spectacular pieces of glacial geomorphology on the planet. By early morning National Geographic Sea Bird was already cruising amidst icebergs deep within walls of granite and gneiss soaring into the mist thousands of feet above the water. After breakfast we launched the zodiacs into a sea of ice and zigzagged our way toward the massive face of the South Sawyer Glacier. The scene was stunning! Blocks of ice filled the fjord from wall to wall with an infinite variety of tones, ranging from almost pure white to a preternatural cerulean blue that was irresistibly attractive to the eye.
We had managed to make our way to within a half mile of the ice front when small blocks of ice the size of kitchen appliances began falling into the water. Soon larger blocks followed and finally several blocks the size of apartment buildings crashed down with a huge roar, creating an impact tsunami at least 50 feet high which surged rapidly towards our very small watercraft. Fortunately we were a safe distance away and rode out the swells. Although we had no problems, we did see one harbor seal unceremoniously dumped off its resting place on top of a tipping iceberg.
After lunch we continued down the fjord amidst hundreds of waterfalls gushing down the near vertical cliffs. This was certainly more than adequate compensation for the continuing rainfall. At Williams Cove we stopped for hiking and kayaking. The long hikers had the most adventurous outing, as they encountered a rain-swollen stream that required a human chain and more than a few water-filled boots to make a successful crossing. The medium and short hikers had only to deal with bear scat on the trail, but got a great introduction to the characteristics of a temperate rainforest. The kayakers were distracted by curious harbor seals along their route.
Before dinner we had our first recap, featuring some amazing critter-cam footage which revealed just what harbor seals do when they are out of sight underwater. Our geologist also did something very strange involving geologic time and toilet paper.
