Tracy Arm Ford’s Terror Wilderness
Bright sunlight greeted the earliest risers out on the bow this morning, as the National Geographic Sea Lion cruised over the bar (terminal moraine) at the entrance to the long fiord called Tracy Arm. But thank goodness, by the close of our morning’s activities, the weather had returned to ‘normal’ with low clouds and few raindrops dotting the water. With the sunny week we’ve experienced, I was a bit concerned that we might not provide an authentic temperate rain forest experience! The morning’s explorations included combinations of bog walks, forest walks, kayaking and Zodiac cruises, while out at the entrance to Williams Cove, beautiful azure icebergs offered a tantalizing taste of adventures yet to come.
The journey from rain forest to rock and finally, glacial ice, was strung with waterfalls falling from steep granite walls and graced with blue ice sculptures. We took to our Zodiacs for the final intimate icy experience. The South Sawyer glacier has been very active and the area in front of the glacier was choked with floating bits both large and small. We witnessed several spectacular calving events and floated among huge blocks of blue ice underway in the tidal current like ships at sea. Harbor seals were popping up everywhere around the boats – the pups are mostly weaned at this time and their curiosity was delightful.
What a wonderful Southeast Alaskan week we’ve shared- from the first mother bear and her cubs north of Sitka to falling ice at the glacier this afternoon. Have a great journey home, and we’ll hope to see you again in another wild corner of our amazing planet.
