Quiet and solitude are surprisingly rare commodities in Southeast Alaska. They're virtual impossibilities on the usual town-hopping, t-shirt-shopping tours. I've spent week upon week camping in Southeast, and my most treasured memories are not of the glacier calving, or of the bear and her cubs, but of the quiet times between high points.
Today we explored Tracy Arm. We saw the magnificence of glaciers, the glowing blue of icebergs, and seals taking their ease on floating ice. We admired huge trees, frothy waterfalls, and a handful of bears feeding on the beach.
Later in the day we went ashore. Some strolled through the forest. Others launched kayaks. Within the safe confines of a broad cove, we were able to spread out. We were able to find our own way, to hear nothing, and to feel small in a great land.
