Tracy Arm

At about 4:30 am the National Geographic Sea Lion crossed through the narrow channel into Tracy Arm, a thirty mile long fjord that was carved by Sawyer glacier, to a depth of 1,200 feet. At one point, at its maximum, the glacier was about a mile thick, winding its way to the sea. Now this beautiful fjord is part of the Tracy Arm Ford’s Terror Wilderness area, along with Endicott Arm, which more-or-less parallels it to the south. The whole area covers 653,179 acres, a fifth of which is covered by ice, and was designated wilderness in 1980.

It was a gray morning with low clouds, but guests were out on deck, enjoying the scenery, and admiring the spectacular glacially carved landscape. Just before breakfast the National Geographic Sea Lion arrived near South Sawyer glacier in the upper eastern arm of the fjord, lowered Zodiacs, and got prepared for our morning of cruises near the glacier. As soon as breakfast was over we loaded up the first round of cruisers, and headed toward the massive wall of glacial ice. On the way there were wonderful icebergs, with deep blue to nearly crystal clear coloration, and an endless variety of shapes and textures.

After arriving closer to the glacial front, we were greeted by a large number of inquisitive Harbor seals popping their heads up out of the water to investigate the strange objects that were intruding into their world. Soon the real show began when South Sawyer started calving off pieces of ice, first on the right side, then the left, leaving us with the anticipation that we might get the “Big One” at some point before we had to leave. We were not disappointed; suddenly a massive chunk of deep blue ice broke loose, and tumbled into the fjord. Luckily the glacier remained active throughout the morning, and the second round of cruisers had their own spectacular show!

During lunch we retreated back down the fjord to an area that was suitable for our afternoon activity, kayaking. So, soon after eating, a quick briefing, and getting into outdoor gear, the kayaks were launched from the fantail of the National Geographic Sea Lion for an hour paddle in this pristine wilderness setting. The weather cleared briefly, and a wonderful time was had by all.

Unfortunately, it was finally time to leave and start heading toward Juneau, and disembarkation the following morning. It was sad to think of leaving, but we had an incredible cruise, with amazing wildlife encounters!