Tracy Arm
Patterns in nature take many forms. Some are permanent when compared to the human lifespan, others are only transitory. Both were present in the Tracy Arm Wilderness area today as the National Geographic Sea Lion was expertly piloted along this fantastic fjord.
As the ship approached the Sawyer glaciers it was obvious that the seasonal sea ice that had formed during the winter was now thawing quickly. There are two glaciers at the head of the fjord: Sawyer and South Sawyer. The larger South Sawyer was off in the distance fending off the prying eyes of visitors with a defensive wall of millions of tons of brash ice that had been held in check many months by the presence of the sea ice. With the thaw, the brash was now making its way out of the bay.
The Sawyer glacier was more easily approached and the Zodiacs were put down for a foray into the ice for a close up look at the many patterns present. One berg in particular, which had just recently turned over exposing ice to air and sun, caught the eye. The cerulean blue emanating from the ice was intoxicating. The sharp edges of the water-worn ice almost appeared extraterrestrial.
Our trip into the ice showed many aspects of how the ice has changed the pattern of the landscape over the millennia. We also saw how the ice changes. In just an hour and a half the fresh crystalline ice had been affected by the sun and air and went from clear to drusy to broken up. Geology on a human time scale is an impressive connection to nature.
Patterns in nature take many forms. Some are permanent when compared to the human lifespan, others are only transitory. Both were present in the Tracy Arm Wilderness area today as the National Geographic Sea Lion was expertly piloted along this fantastic fjord.
As the ship approached the Sawyer glaciers it was obvious that the seasonal sea ice that had formed during the winter was now thawing quickly. There are two glaciers at the head of the fjord: Sawyer and South Sawyer. The larger South Sawyer was off in the distance fending off the prying eyes of visitors with a defensive wall of millions of tons of brash ice that had been held in check many months by the presence of the sea ice. With the thaw, the brash was now making its way out of the bay.
The Sawyer glacier was more easily approached and the Zodiacs were put down for a foray into the ice for a close up look at the many patterns present. One berg in particular, which had just recently turned over exposing ice to air and sun, caught the eye. The cerulean blue emanating from the ice was intoxicating. The sharp edges of the water-worn ice almost appeared extraterrestrial.
Our trip into the ice showed many aspects of how the ice has changed the pattern of the landscape over the millennia. We also saw how the ice changes. In just an hour and a half the fresh crystalline ice had been affected by the sun and air and went from clear to drusy to broken up. Geology on a human time scale is an impressive connection to nature.
