Tracy Arm, Alaska
The coast of Southeast Alaska is a landscape defined by ice. On this first day of our expedition, we experienced the awesome power of frozen water in the form of glaciers. Tracy Arm is a classic fjord – a U-shaped valley carved by glacial action, and subsequently flooded by the sea after the retreat of the glacier.
Cruising up the 22-mile long fjord we encountered a variety of seabirds, including marbled murrelets and pigeon guillemots. A black bear gave brief views as it moved between patches of scrubby vegetation and distant white specks high on the walls of the fjord proved to be mountain goats. As we moved deeper into the fjord we encountered floating ice, recently calved from the two tidewater glaciers that meet the sea at the head of the valley.
Zodiacs were lowered and our exploration continued by these versatile inflatable craft. Harbour seals and harbour porpoise were seen on the way towards the glacier faces where we waited, anticipated and were rewarded with further calving events. But perhaps the most unexpected sighting for some was a small group of mountain goats at sea level. A nanny and kid provided the best views as they wandered along the shore. It is known that goats move from their usual lofty domain to lower altitudes when they have kids, but what was this adult doing at sea level? After watching for a while we concluded that she was licking salt – an essential part of the diet – from the rocks.
Cruising out of the fjord we encountered another black bear – with slightly confusing brown fur. After dinner the end of the day was spent in the company of a number of humpback whales in Frederick Sound, an excellent start to our week.
The coast of Southeast Alaska is a landscape defined by ice. On this first day of our expedition, we experienced the awesome power of frozen water in the form of glaciers. Tracy Arm is a classic fjord – a U-shaped valley carved by glacial action, and subsequently flooded by the sea after the retreat of the glacier.
Cruising up the 22-mile long fjord we encountered a variety of seabirds, including marbled murrelets and pigeon guillemots. A black bear gave brief views as it moved between patches of scrubby vegetation and distant white specks high on the walls of the fjord proved to be mountain goats. As we moved deeper into the fjord we encountered floating ice, recently calved from the two tidewater glaciers that meet the sea at the head of the valley.
Zodiacs were lowered and our exploration continued by these versatile inflatable craft. Harbour seals and harbour porpoise were seen on the way towards the glacier faces where we waited, anticipated and were rewarded with further calving events. But perhaps the most unexpected sighting for some was a small group of mountain goats at sea level. A nanny and kid provided the best views as they wandered along the shore. It is known that goats move from their usual lofty domain to lower altitudes when they have kids, but what was this adult doing at sea level? After watching for a while we concluded that she was licking salt – an essential part of the diet – from the rocks.
Cruising out of the fjord we encountered another black bear – with slightly confusing brown fur. After dinner the end of the day was spent in the company of a number of humpback whales in Frederick Sound, an excellent start to our week.
