It’s our final full day of expedition travel aboard National Geographic Quest, and every day leading up to now has only raised the bar for what to expect in the world of natural wonders here in Southeast Alaska. In the early morning hours, we crossed the terminal moraine towards Sawyer Glacier(s), with whispers of whale sightings, icebergs starting to sprinkle the surface of the water, and a general anticipation for the day’s schedule increasingly building. The included photos show some of the highlights throughout the day, moments that were reflected and retold from different perspectives during cocktail hour this evening. As the evening drew to a close, we shared a beautiful and delicious dinner with incomparable company.
7/14/2024
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National Geographic Venture
Tracy Arm-Fords Terror Wilderness
We started the day with Zodiac tours of South Sawyer Glacier, a tidewater glacier. The air was cool, and it rained throughout the day, but that made the waterfalls gush. The walls of the Tracy Arm were dark yet glistening, and blue icebergs recently calved from South Sawyer Glacier stood out. The sea water stood in contrast against the ice. The brown of the land flushing into the sea swirled with a rusty hue that turned out to be a zooplankton bloom. The misty afternoon was spent kayaking from the base of one of the waterfalls with icebergs in various forms carried by nearby currents. It all made for a fantastic backdrop with swallows swooping close to the output of the falls, arctic terns darting and calling above, harbor seals cautiously following along, and pigeon guillemots surfacing with a whole silvery fish in their bills. After such a fantastic day, we finished up by viewing numerous waterfalls cascading down the steep fjord walls and a look at Sawyer Glacier misted in fingerlike clouds. What a beautiful sight.
