“Good morning, good morning everyone,” came the gentle voice of our expedition leader over the PA system. “It’s 7 a.m., and it is a beautiful morning as we are cruising east into the fjord of Tracy Arm. Outside the windows, if you have not been out yet, you will see the steep rounded cliffs of this glacially carved fjord, and we are probably about ten miles from the face of the glacier. Up ahead of us you can see a couple of kayakers and these are U.S. Forest Service Wilderness Rangers. They are going to join us for the morning … we’ll be picking them up, bringing their kayaks on board, they’ll be joining us for breakfast and for the whole rest of the morning. It’s their job to be out here meeting people like us, and kayakers and other people using this wilderness area …. You’ll get a chance to interact with them and probably hear a short program about their jobs and about this area. Right now Susan is starting her stretch class on the aft 100 level deck. It’s about 47 degrees outside, so please dress in layers. And in a half-hour at 7:30, breakfast will be served.”
Thus began Day One of our expedition. Bundled in layers, and armed with binoculars and cameras, we tumbled into the small expedition landing craft for a closer look at South Sawyer Glacier and the many splendors in its vicinity. The sun flirted with clouds, poking in and out, and a cool pristine breeze blew down from the glacier top, making its way across the glacial green waters to dance on our skin and into our lungs. I remind people to take deep breaths, to fill up their lungs with this precious food, oxygen … and to exhale and give back to the trees and plants of this wondrous place. Moving about among exquisite pieces of ice, the small growlers, the mid-size bergie bits, and the larger icebergs, surrounded by high cliffs carved from the glacier, with numerous waterfalls flinging their gushing drops down to the waiting sea below. Other treasures of the morning … mountain goats, harbor seals, and various birds including common murres, marble murrelets, and pigeon guillemots. The cracking of white thunder as the glacier calved is a sound most won’t likely forget, nor the immensity of a whole column plummeting to the sea, causing a huge wake to lift our boats a half-mile away. And the finishing touch … a hot chocolate boat delivered molten libations to warm hands, bellies and souls. Yum!
Back aboard, towards the end of lunch, the PA crackled with the voice of our expedition leader again, this time to announce the sighting of a black bear. Donning jackets, binos, and cameras once again, we made our way on deck to watch this black bear paw through devil’s club for berries, then make its way downhill to the shoreline. We watched this beautiful healthy creature amble along and, finally pulled away to continue on, we stopped at two magnificent waterfalls along the way. Because the water is deep right up to the cliff walls the Captain inched the bow right up to the waterfall—refreshing!
The rest of the afternoon was devoted to an introductory photography talk, followed by introductory forest walks, and kayaking at Williams Cove. Naturalists began the story that will continue throughout the week, that of the temperate rain forest and salmon and bears (oh my!). At this writing we have finished dinner. Some are perusing the wares of the Global Market in the lounge, while others are out on the bow enjoying the fresh air and the sky’s glorious streaks of pink, yellow, orange, and blue as we sail into the night towards Le Conte Bay. What a fabulous first day!
