Yet another spectacular day! Crystal clear skies, no clouds and almost-hot sun caused a few mild sunburns today as we cruised around Tracy Arm. Crossing over the "bar" (terminal moraine of the last glacier in this area) at 5:00 a.m., we continued on into the twisting 30-mile fjord. Beautiful light lit up the cliff walls and a few creamy white mountain goats were spotted wandering high near the snow line.
After breakfast we hopped into Zodiacs and spent the morning cruising around the face of the South Sawyer glacier. The ice was stunningly beautiful, shimmering with sapphire light in calm waters. Harbor seals watched us pass from floating bergy bits, and many curious heads rose from the frigid water to gaze at the cameras frantically snapping photos. A few pieces of ice plunged into the water from the face of the glacier, creating spectacular splashes and rumbling, resounding "booms." Waterfalls leapt from unseen heights, sparkling down the mountainsides, and all around we had a terrific experience.
In the afternoon we heard a delightful talk from Ian Strachan on pinnipeds, and at the end of his presentation we rushed out on deck for a call of "bear!" A black bear was roaming the intertidal cliffs, scraping barnacles off the rocks and chowing down on a delicious and nourishing meal.
Later in the day we pulled into Williams Cove and disembarked for hikes through the rainforest, alight with filtered sun and flowers. Explorations completed, we returned to forage for dinner on the ship followed by sunset and a presentation by our National Geographic photographer Macduff Everton.
