A favorite stop on National Geographic Quest, South Sawyer Glacier never disappoints. Morning stretch class was held while passing through the majestic fjords of Fords Terror Wilderness. Beautiful waterfalls splashed into the glacially fed blue-green waters as we sailed by. Two rounds of Zodiac rides took us to the face of the glacier; Both groups experienced an amazing calving show. Many harbor seals were lounging on the icebergs as we navigated through the pack ice.
7/14/2024
Read
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.
