A gray day met us in the immediate proximity of the moraine of Sawyer’s Glacier. A bite in it permits the passage of ships into the arm, to sail east along this lovely fjord to its end, and the glaciers. Slowly we wended our way further in, amidst a dense fog.
After breakfast we were already in the proximity of South Sawyer Glacier, one of the two important glaciers of the Ford’s Terror Tracy Arm Wilderness. We promptly lowered our inflatable boats and began our first approach to the face of the glacier, skirting innumerable growlers and bergy bits as we did so. This glacier is retreating very fast, and also becoming thinner. In the process, a good amount of ice pieces are calved into the ocean, creating a big splash and a forceful explosion. Boom! At our quarter-of-a-mile distance from it, we had ample opportunities to take pictures of the great splashes. On one occasion several huge pieces of ice calved, sending the splash almost to the top of the glacier, as all of us screamed with delight.
After lunch, the ship repositioned somewhat, and we began our afternoon activities: kayaking and touring in the inflatables. We were able in this way to approach the incredibly tall and smooth walls of the mountains forming the fjord, and to be able to recognize some of the small plants that were still green.
We then set sail for the mouth of the fjord, enjoying a good number of small and large waterfalls, not withstanding the low fog. A good number of large ice pieces accompanied us on our way out! A cold, wonderful ice day this one.
