Williams Cove and Tracy Arm
Just as our Expedition Leader made his 7:00am wake up call, a black bear was spotted on the beach in Williams Cove. The Sea Lion moved very quietly and slowly towards the beach where the bear was feeding. This calm and contented bear was far too busy with an early morning meal of mussels and barnacles to be disturbed by a large white object moving slowly by water in its direction. The tide was falling to a record low of minus four feet, and this provided a dinner table of delectable delights for our first wildlife sighting of the day!
Once our delicious breakfast was complete announcements were made for two morning excursions, either hiking or kayaking. Zodiacs were loaded with long, medium and short hikers as well as kayakers. On shore we were divided into groups and headed out to explore shoreline by foot, by kayak and some of us further into the forest and up in elevation to a blanket bog. Our exploration took us into the forest traveling along a well established brown and black bear trail. Interestingly enough, many creatures of the forest are creatures of habit...finding a safe place to eat, to sleep and to travel. Following in the footsteps of many forest creatures, along a well used trail, we stopped to admire one of the thousands of small white flowers in full bloom! Casting our eyes out into the open areas of the forest floor we saw many more small and delicate but easily seen white flowers…their own sentries announcing their presence to small flying pollinators, also abundant during our hikes! Several hikes broke out of the forest and returned along the shoreline stopping to admire Alaskan paint brush, Indian paint brush and gorgeous but fetid smelling Black rice lilies also referred to as Chocolate lilies. All flowers surrounded by hovering pollinators….moth of many descriptions, the tiniest bees and flies, all attracted to this great display of flowers….an announcement of nourishment to every flying insect!
Kayakers explored the shoreline and several small icebergs that had made their way all the way west down Tracy Arm heading out into Stephens Passage.
As lunch time approached all hikers and kayakers returned to our staging beach and eventually the tools of our morning activities were prepared for stowage on the Sea Lion. All guests and natural history staff returned for a superb lunch on deck and an afternoon of exploration deep into the glacially carved fjord called Tracy Arm.
The Tracy Arm and Fords Terror Wilderness are approximately 45 miles southeast of Juneau. It encompasses 653,179 acres of rugged coast mountains bordering Holkam Bay, on the east side of Stephens Passage. It surrounds three dramatic glacial fjords, and extends eastward to the Canadian border. Sawyer and South Sawyer glaciers both originate in the Stikine Ice Field, which straddles the Coast Mountains from north of the Stikine River to south of the Taku River. South Sawyer Glacier is roughly 25 miles long and three-quarters of a mile wide at its face reaching Canada about twelve miles from the face. Sawyer Glacier reaches Canada approximately eight miles from its face with that face being less than half a mile wide. Both glaciers are nearly 200 feet tall, with occasional to heavy calving. Carbon dating from the terminal moraines (shallow bars) bordering Holkham Bay indicates they are at least 1,500 years old. When John Muir visited this area in 1880 he reported only one tidewater glacier in Tracy Arm, indicating the Sawyer and South Sawyer glaciers were still joined in 1880.
Our afternoon of travel took the Sea Lion up into to Tracy Arm with a stop at Hole in the Wall waterfall one of many waterfalls and cascades along our route. The final stop of the afternoon would be the faces of both Sawyer and South Sawyer glaciers.
After a slow cruise in front of Sawyer Glacier our expedition leader invited everyone to the aft deck for Zodiac ice tours. Four Zodiacs tooled amongst ice of many shapes and sizes and then made their way toward the front of South Sawyer glacier. On approach to the ice we began seeing harbor seals on ice bergs. During the spring months ice bergs calved from several Southeast Alaska glaciers are maternity wards for seals. On these bergs the harbor seals are safe from predators and can birth their young in peace, albeit under circumstances that appeared severe to us.
As we cruised through the ice again and again we saw small silvery-grey pups with birth wrinkles still present in their fur! The mothers were very protective. Our Zodiac drivers approached slowly and carefully and we saw many mothers with young lying safely on a small ice berg. The pups appeared content in their first bond with life and one of the most beautiful places in Southeast Alaska. Here this glacier calving provided the harbor seals with safe birthing platforms.
Just as our Expedition Leader made his 7:00am wake up call, a black bear was spotted on the beach in Williams Cove. The Sea Lion moved very quietly and slowly towards the beach where the bear was feeding. This calm and contented bear was far too busy with an early morning meal of mussels and barnacles to be disturbed by a large white object moving slowly by water in its direction. The tide was falling to a record low of minus four feet, and this provided a dinner table of delectable delights for our first wildlife sighting of the day!
Once our delicious breakfast was complete announcements were made for two morning excursions, either hiking or kayaking. Zodiacs were loaded with long, medium and short hikers as well as kayakers. On shore we were divided into groups and headed out to explore shoreline by foot, by kayak and some of us further into the forest and up in elevation to a blanket bog. Our exploration took us into the forest traveling along a well established brown and black bear trail. Interestingly enough, many creatures of the forest are creatures of habit...finding a safe place to eat, to sleep and to travel. Following in the footsteps of many forest creatures, along a well used trail, we stopped to admire one of the thousands of small white flowers in full bloom! Casting our eyes out into the open areas of the forest floor we saw many more small and delicate but easily seen white flowers…their own sentries announcing their presence to small flying pollinators, also abundant during our hikes! Several hikes broke out of the forest and returned along the shoreline stopping to admire Alaskan paint brush, Indian paint brush and gorgeous but fetid smelling Black rice lilies also referred to as Chocolate lilies. All flowers surrounded by hovering pollinators….moth of many descriptions, the tiniest bees and flies, all attracted to this great display of flowers….an announcement of nourishment to every flying insect!
Kayakers explored the shoreline and several small icebergs that had made their way all the way west down Tracy Arm heading out into Stephens Passage.
As lunch time approached all hikers and kayakers returned to our staging beach and eventually the tools of our morning activities were prepared for stowage on the Sea Lion. All guests and natural history staff returned for a superb lunch on deck and an afternoon of exploration deep into the glacially carved fjord called Tracy Arm.
The Tracy Arm and Fords Terror Wilderness are approximately 45 miles southeast of Juneau. It encompasses 653,179 acres of rugged coast mountains bordering Holkam Bay, on the east side of Stephens Passage. It surrounds three dramatic glacial fjords, and extends eastward to the Canadian border. Sawyer and South Sawyer glaciers both originate in the Stikine Ice Field, which straddles the Coast Mountains from north of the Stikine River to south of the Taku River. South Sawyer Glacier is roughly 25 miles long and three-quarters of a mile wide at its face reaching Canada about twelve miles from the face. Sawyer Glacier reaches Canada approximately eight miles from its face with that face being less than half a mile wide. Both glaciers are nearly 200 feet tall, with occasional to heavy calving. Carbon dating from the terminal moraines (shallow bars) bordering Holkham Bay indicates they are at least 1,500 years old. When John Muir visited this area in 1880 he reported only one tidewater glacier in Tracy Arm, indicating the Sawyer and South Sawyer glaciers were still joined in 1880.
Our afternoon of travel took the Sea Lion up into to Tracy Arm with a stop at Hole in the Wall waterfall one of many waterfalls and cascades along our route. The final stop of the afternoon would be the faces of both Sawyer and South Sawyer glaciers.
After a slow cruise in front of Sawyer Glacier our expedition leader invited everyone to the aft deck for Zodiac ice tours. Four Zodiacs tooled amongst ice of many shapes and sizes and then made their way toward the front of South Sawyer glacier. On approach to the ice we began seeing harbor seals on ice bergs. During the spring months ice bergs calved from several Southeast Alaska glaciers are maternity wards for seals. On these bergs the harbor seals are safe from predators and can birth their young in peace, albeit under circumstances that appeared severe to us.
As we cruised through the ice again and again we saw small silvery-grey pups with birth wrinkles still present in their fur! The mothers were very protective. Our Zodiac drivers approached slowly and carefully and we saw many mothers with young lying safely on a small ice berg. The pups appeared content in their first bond with life and one of the most beautiful places in Southeast Alaska. Here this glacier calving provided the harbor seals with safe birthing platforms.
