Tracy Arm
Vertical walls of granite and metamorphic rock rise abruptly from the fiord known as Tracy Arm, the focus of the day’s activities. After a morning of hiking and kayaking, the ship wound its way up the glacially carved valley for about thirty miles past classic U-shaped valleys, tiny mountain goats, and spectacular scenery. The captain nosed in for a close-up look at a waterfall and to our delight, tucked the bow right in and splashed the deck. We continued on and left spruce and hemlock trees behind as we entered the alder-studded slopes so recently covered by ice that forest has not yet become established.
Near the head of Tracy Arm the faces of Sawyer and South Sawyer Glaciers came into view. These are tidewater glaciers, in direct contact with the ocean. It was the perfect spot to head off in Zodiacs to weave through the icebergs, bergie bits, and growlers that choked the upper fiord as a result of recent calving activity. Surreal blues added depth to the largest pieces of ice. Delicate sculptures of swans and dragons swam in the teal-colored sea laden with sediment from the grinding glaciers. Every now and then an inquisitive harbor seal poked its head up to check out the black, many-armed creatures entering its watery realm. Other seals sunbathed on their icy perches. Meltwater from ice and high snowfields slipped over iron-rich rocks painted with rust and squiggles of gray and white, then spilled into the sea. There were no houses, no sidewalks, and no signs of human habitation. It was our first full day on the ship and a total escape from the complex world we had left behind.
Vertical walls of granite and metamorphic rock rise abruptly from the fiord known as Tracy Arm, the focus of the day’s activities. After a morning of hiking and kayaking, the ship wound its way up the glacially carved valley for about thirty miles past classic U-shaped valleys, tiny mountain goats, and spectacular scenery. The captain nosed in for a close-up look at a waterfall and to our delight, tucked the bow right in and splashed the deck. We continued on and left spruce and hemlock trees behind as we entered the alder-studded slopes so recently covered by ice that forest has not yet become established.
Near the head of Tracy Arm the faces of Sawyer and South Sawyer Glaciers came into view. These are tidewater glaciers, in direct contact with the ocean. It was the perfect spot to head off in Zodiacs to weave through the icebergs, bergie bits, and growlers that choked the upper fiord as a result of recent calving activity. Surreal blues added depth to the largest pieces of ice. Delicate sculptures of swans and dragons swam in the teal-colored sea laden with sediment from the grinding glaciers. Every now and then an inquisitive harbor seal poked its head up to check out the black, many-armed creatures entering its watery realm. Other seals sunbathed on their icy perches. Meltwater from ice and high snowfields slipped over iron-rich rocks painted with rust and squiggles of gray and white, then spilled into the sea. There were no houses, no sidewalks, and no signs of human habitation. It was our first full day on the ship and a total escape from the complex world we had left behind.
