Ford’s Terror and Dawes Glacier - Endicott Arm - Southeast Alaska
“Water, water every where,
And all the boards did shrink;
Water, water every where,
Nor any drop to drink.”
– S. T. Coleridge
Today we encountered water in its various forms – solid, liquid and vapor. Fog surrounded us while we cruised south in Stephens Passage, but when we crossed “the bar” – a submerged terminal moraine – into Holkham Bay we found clear, sunny skies on the other side. Sum Dum Glacier – frozen water – hung above us, gleaming jewel-like in the morning light. We did not directly experience the infamous “liquid sunshine” today, but the evidence of abundant rainfall was all around us in the temperate rainforest of Southeast Alaska. Dependence upon this water-influenced environment was seen everywhere: the dense forest of Sitka spruce, myriad waterfalls, marbled murrelets, three species of loons, harlequin ducks, gulls, arctic terns, harbor seals, and other species.
In the not-so-distant past, Endicott Arm was totally encased by thousands of feet of water in the solid form – ice. Many signs of this epoch survive to this time. Now we see U-shaped valleys, sheer cliffs, nunataks, moraines, milky water, and granite polished to a smooth sheen and darkened by a deep patina of lichens and mosses. Waterfalls and seeps streak the rock and help pave the way for the vegetation that will gradually become a mature forest (unless the glaciers advance again before it gets the chance).
Two exciting Zodiac excursions punctuated our day of wilderness observation from the bow of the Sea Lion. First, we braved the narrow neck and turbulent waters of Ford’s Terror. When we were safely past the narrow gauntlet of roiled waters, we cruised into slot canyons, marveling at the powerful symbiosis of plate tectonics and the steady wear of water, constantly eroding even the staunchest of substrates.
Once in view of the mile-wide face of Dawe’s Glacier at the end of Endicott Arm, we again boarded Zodiacs and wove our way through scintillating icebergs, bergie bits, growlers and brash ice to view the active face of this tidewater glacier. The frozen water at the face of the glacier, in the solid state for perhaps hundreds of years, crashed into the water below and began the transformation into the liquid state.
“The ice was here, the ice was there,
The ice was all around:
It cracked and growled, and roared and howled,
Like noises in a swound!”
– S. T. Coleridge
All around us, the compressed ice glittered like diamonds and amethysts. On the larger ice chunks, harbor seals sunned themselves, and we saw a few that looked to be pregnant females ready to give birth any day on their icy nurseries. Classic glacier-carved U-shaped tributaries entered from either side. North Dawes Glacier, no longer at tidewater, cascades from its mountainous origin, pouring silty meltwater through the wide valley and into the fjord below.
Water is an amazing and unique substance. We tend to think of it as common and abundant, but it has uncommon properties and is spread unevenly around the planet. We often take it for granted yet can’t live without it. It is an integral part of our bodies and our very existence. Most of the water on the planet is in the oceans, and therefore very little is available for our everyday use. Wise use and conservation would be prudent in our management of this very precious resource.
“Water, water every where,
And all the boards did shrink;
Water, water every where,
Nor any drop to drink.”
– S. T. Coleridge
Today we encountered water in its various forms – solid, liquid and vapor. Fog surrounded us while we cruised south in Stephens Passage, but when we crossed “the bar” – a submerged terminal moraine – into Holkham Bay we found clear, sunny skies on the other side. Sum Dum Glacier – frozen water – hung above us, gleaming jewel-like in the morning light. We did not directly experience the infamous “liquid sunshine” today, but the evidence of abundant rainfall was all around us in the temperate rainforest of Southeast Alaska. Dependence upon this water-influenced environment was seen everywhere: the dense forest of Sitka spruce, myriad waterfalls, marbled murrelets, three species of loons, harlequin ducks, gulls, arctic terns, harbor seals, and other species.
In the not-so-distant past, Endicott Arm was totally encased by thousands of feet of water in the solid form – ice. Many signs of this epoch survive to this time. Now we see U-shaped valleys, sheer cliffs, nunataks, moraines, milky water, and granite polished to a smooth sheen and darkened by a deep patina of lichens and mosses. Waterfalls and seeps streak the rock and help pave the way for the vegetation that will gradually become a mature forest (unless the glaciers advance again before it gets the chance).
Two exciting Zodiac excursions punctuated our day of wilderness observation from the bow of the Sea Lion. First, we braved the narrow neck and turbulent waters of Ford’s Terror. When we were safely past the narrow gauntlet of roiled waters, we cruised into slot canyons, marveling at the powerful symbiosis of plate tectonics and the steady wear of water, constantly eroding even the staunchest of substrates.
Once in view of the mile-wide face of Dawe’s Glacier at the end of Endicott Arm, we again boarded Zodiacs and wove our way through scintillating icebergs, bergie bits, growlers and brash ice to view the active face of this tidewater glacier. The frozen water at the face of the glacier, in the solid state for perhaps hundreds of years, crashed into the water below and began the transformation into the liquid state.
“The ice was here, the ice was there,
The ice was all around:
It cracked and growled, and roared and howled,
Like noises in a swound!”
– S. T. Coleridge
All around us, the compressed ice glittered like diamonds and amethysts. On the larger ice chunks, harbor seals sunned themselves, and we saw a few that looked to be pregnant females ready to give birth any day on their icy nurseries. Classic glacier-carved U-shaped tributaries entered from either side. North Dawes Glacier, no longer at tidewater, cascades from its mountainous origin, pouring silty meltwater through the wide valley and into the fjord below.
Water is an amazing and unique substance. We tend to think of it as common and abundant, but it has uncommon properties and is spread unevenly around the planet. We often take it for granted yet can’t live without it. It is an integral part of our bodies and our very existence. Most of the water on the planet is in the oceans, and therefore very little is available for our everyday use. Wise use and conservation would be prudent in our management of this very precious resource.
