Tracy Arm
Another beautiful and sunny morning in southeast Alaska! At breakfast, we crossed the bar that marks the terminal moraine of the ice-age Sawyer Glacier and headed up the Tracy Arm fjord. Inbound, the Sea Lion maneuvered through numerous icebergs that had made their way from the terminus of the Sawyer and South Sawyer Glaciers. This fantastic fjord cuts through the heart of Tracy Arm-Ford’s Terror Wilderness where glacial horns, cirques and hanging valleys surround us and provide ample evidence of the erosive power of moving ice.
The terminus of the Sawyer glacier halts our forward progress but not our ability to drink in the amazing scene. Sapphire blue ice towers over 200 feet above the ship and would occasionally send a torrent of ice down slope into the waters of the fjord. A sharp-eyed guest spied a mountain goat on the edge of the fjord two hundred feet above the water line. These sure-footed animals graze on plants that grow on the newly exposed walls of the fjord. Marine mammal sightings included harbor porpoise and harbor seals, and amid several bald eagle sightings and views of resident seabirds, several flocks of Arctic Terns were seen flying and feeding on small fish within the fjord. These amazing birds travel thousands of miles to feast on the bounty provided by the extraordinarily rich waters of southeast Alaska.
After lunch many guests enjoyed a chilly but invigorating Zodiac tour of the fjord or opted for a kayak paddle amid the blue ice and vertical walls of Tracy Arm. Some chose to relax and enjoy the afternoon on the Sea Lion and simply soaked up the serenity of this truly special place.
Another beautiful and sunny morning in southeast Alaska! At breakfast, we crossed the bar that marks the terminal moraine of the ice-age Sawyer Glacier and headed up the Tracy Arm fjord. Inbound, the Sea Lion maneuvered through numerous icebergs that had made their way from the terminus of the Sawyer and South Sawyer Glaciers. This fantastic fjord cuts through the heart of Tracy Arm-Ford’s Terror Wilderness where glacial horns, cirques and hanging valleys surround us and provide ample evidence of the erosive power of moving ice.
The terminus of the Sawyer glacier halts our forward progress but not our ability to drink in the amazing scene. Sapphire blue ice towers over 200 feet above the ship and would occasionally send a torrent of ice down slope into the waters of the fjord. A sharp-eyed guest spied a mountain goat on the edge of the fjord two hundred feet above the water line. These sure-footed animals graze on plants that grow on the newly exposed walls of the fjord. Marine mammal sightings included harbor porpoise and harbor seals, and amid several bald eagle sightings and views of resident seabirds, several flocks of Arctic Terns were seen flying and feeding on small fish within the fjord. These amazing birds travel thousands of miles to feast on the bounty provided by the extraordinarily rich waters of southeast Alaska.
After lunch many guests enjoyed a chilly but invigorating Zodiac tour of the fjord or opted for a kayak paddle amid the blue ice and vertical walls of Tracy Arm. Some chose to relax and enjoy the afternoon on the Sea Lion and simply soaked up the serenity of this truly special place.
