Endicott Arm, Dawes Glacier and Fords Terror
The National Geographic Sea Lion left Juneau Alaska at approximately midnight. She was heading south towards her morning destination of Tracy Arm - Fords Terror Wilderness area. Our first day aboard began with stunning sunshine, calm seas and fabulous conditions for spotting marine life in all directions. Our Captain began his approach to the terminal moraine, also called the terminal bar, at the entrance to Endicott Arm at 8:45am. In this location the water is only 50 or 60 feet deep as this is the end of where ice has pushed enormous amounts of rock out of Endicott Arm creating a large mound; as ice retreated over the last thousand years, gouging deeper inside the fjord creating depths of sea water, anywhere from 600 to 1,000 feet deep. The currents and eddies around the terminal bar were spectacular and the subsequent upwelling of cold water and nutrients was attracting many birds and our first marine mammal, a humpback whale. All of this living activity was presented to us with a back drop of the hanging glacier Sumdum, up on a nearby section of the Coastal mountain range and many, many mountain peaks all around, making it difficult to take it all in! A pair of Bald eagles was watching the world around them from a perch on top of a large iceberg floating in the current eddies on the riptide just over the terminal bar. We remained a short time longer watching birds and wildlife and then began our entrance into Endicott Arm. From Harbor Island at the entrance, Endicott Arm extends southeast 30 miles to Dawes Glacier. Our goal this morning was to make a special Zodiac ride into a tiny inlet called Fords Terror. It is 15 miles from the entrance of Endicott Arm, giving enough time in the middle of the day to enjoy a spectacular Zodiac tour, split our lunch seatings and still have the early evening at the face of Dawes Glacier at the southeast end of the fjord.
Fords Terror is an extremely narrow inlet that extends 5 miles in a northerly direction. Its entrance is extremely dangerous except at high slack water, which was exactly what the National Geographic Sea Lion would be experiencing between 11:45am and 2:00pm. The ship was divided into two sections and 4 Zodiacs were launched and tours began promptly! Tidal currents rushed through the narrowest part of the inlet with great velocity. Fords Terror was reportedly named in 1889 for a crew member of the Patterson who entered the narrows, got caught inside and spent a terrifying six hours until the tide reversed! We entered at slack full tide and were greeted by towering walls of granite, hanging glaciers, many vertical cliffs and spectacular waterfalls around every corner. Timing remained critical and just 45 minutes after entering Fords Terror all 4 Zodiacs began their return journey out through the narrow entrance and the waiting National Geographic Sea Lion.
Due to the unusual timing of the day we arrived at the end of Endicott Arm and the face of Dawes Glacier just before 4:00pm. There was a strong wind coming off the face of the glacier right over all the Zodiacs. Once we were all bundled in jackets, hats, gloves, scarves all four small boats made their way towards the face of Dawes...small areas of the glacier sent tiny but very heavy and loud pieces of ice down into the sea! White thunder rang out over the fjord as ice continued to rain into the sea at the face of the glacier. Arctic terns flew over our heads while Harbor seals surfaced, watched and sank back into the water...wondering who we were in their protected space of water. Zodiac rides continued until just before dinner, everyone enjoying a rare opportunity to spend a day in an ice carved fjord located in the heart of a land of a 1,000 islands...better known as Southeast Alaska.
