Cruising north from Petersburg, National Geographic Sea Lion transited through Frederick Sound and Stephens Passage and entered Tracy Arm early in the morning. A classic fjord (glacially-carved channel filled with sea water), this narrow, serpentine waterway leads thirty miles into the mainland through rugged and remote wilderness terrain to two tidewater glaciers that spill from the Stikine Ice Field to the east.
Spawned from the active calving glacier, ice pieces of all sizes littered the surface, most of their mass lurking underwater. Captain Nettles deftly navigated our vessel around the ice toward South Sawyer Glacier. From the decks we spotted harbor seals resting on icebergs: some lay next to recently born pups; others waited to give birth. Also using the ice, bald eagles hoped to get a nutritious meal from seal afterbirth. Blood-stained icebergs told the story.
After breakfast we embarked onto our inflatable crafts for a journey to the face of the glacier. Arctic terns dipped and dove, long pointed wings arcing gracefully through the air. Following the sun from Arctic to Antarctic, the terns have tens of thousands of miles under their wings and entertained us by skimming the water’s surface for small fish. They nest on the rock and gravel exposed and deposited by the retreating glacier.
Seal researchers were camped on the rocks above, watching the area through long-range binoculars. They are studying many aspects of seal natural history. We spied some of the seals that have been outfitted with cameras and transmitters. There is concern about what will happen if the seals lose their safe iceberg pupping habitat if tidewater glaciers continue to retreat and eventually become land-locked.
The glacier calved a few times, giant 200-foot-tall splashes exploding at the base of the ice face. Echoes boomed around the fjord and waves rocked our boats to the tinkling music of brash ice. Massive blue icebergs with beautifully fluted designs bobbed in silty water and photographers eagerly composed abstracts of blue, green, gray and clear ice. One boat was treated to an unusual visitor to Tracy Arm: a long-tailed jaeger. After sitting obediently on the ice for enthusiastic photographers, face speckled with its last meal of tasty afterbirth, the jaeger took off, showing its long and graceful tail.
After lunch guests were treated to fantastic views of Hole in the Wall Waterfall, where water flows over a gaping cavity in the rock face. Shortly thereafter, a black bear was spotted and the ship maneuvered in for a closer look. Large, healthy, and alone, the bear was found lying in the yellowish seaweed in the upper intertidal, chowing on tasty barnacle morsels. Eventually it wandered away, and the ship headed to Williams Cove. A few intrepid hikers hit the beach for a pleasant beach/forest stroll in the rain, enjoying views of scoters and harlequin ducks out on the water. Others took to the kayaks, paddling in the quiet waters of the cove.
Captain’s Farewell Dinner was festive and delicious, and the guests enthusiastically watched the guest slide show, a compilation of their photographs shot throughout the voyage.
