We couldn’t start our day in more dramatic surroundings; the magnificent mountains and sheer vertical cliffs, carved and polished by glaciers over thousands of years and embraced by low clouds, made for an ethereal feeling. The National Geographic Sea Bird made her way along Tracy Arm, arguably one of the most beautiful fjords in North America, and we were just awed by everything around us. Shortly after breakfast we jumped into our kayaks and had a lot of fun paddling around floating ice and admiring the shoreline up close and personal. Many engaged in fishing for the funniest-looking small piece of ice, whereas others just relaxed and enjoyed the solitude.
We continued our way deeper into the fjord and boarded our expedition landing craft for a couple of rounds in the evening. Cruising around growlers, bergie bits, and icebergs, we approached the magnificent South Sawyer Glacier. Originated in the Stikine Icefield, the South Sawyer is one of the southernmost tidewater glaciers in North America and certainly one of the prettiest. Multiple areas of deep blue ice contrasted sharply with the bare rock, whereas the occasional calving caused great excitement among us. Lots of ice in front of the glacier was occupied by sleeping harbor seals; this area is an important breeding ground for the species and we saw many young seals of the year swimming around. After being nursed by their mothers for only a few weeks, the pups are already independent and fishing for lanternfish and other prey by themselves. Many were very curious and swam close, looking at us with large beady eyes, thinking perhaps that we were some kind of strange seal on top of a piece of black ice.
A beautiful sunset and a great farewell dinner marked the last day of our expedition in beautiful Southeast Alaska.
