Dawes Glacier & Endicott Arm
Rays of sunlight filtered through spires of blue glacial ice and spilled over the towering domes of granitic rock. Over millennia, this dramatic fiord has been smoothed, scraped and sculpted by glaciers. Drifting in our Zodiacs in front of Dawes Glacier instantly expanded our sense of scale and led to new and personal definitions of ‘awesome’ as very impressive chunks of falling ice sent sprays of water skyward at least one hundred feet.
On a steep rocky outcrop near the ice, several mountain goats were observed just above the intertidal – they were probably in search of a bit of salt and other marine minerals to augment their sparse and leafy diet. These high country animals are laterally compressed, allowing them to move easily on four-inch wide trails along thousand foot cliffs, where their predators (mainly bears and wolves) cannot follow.
Out on the ice flow, more than two hundred harbor seals with their new born pups dotted the ice. We are visiting this area during the height of the pupping season for these sleek, well insulated animals. On a hill near the National Geographic Sea Lion’s position, a group of researchers has been camped for over three weeks, tagging and observing the seals to try and discover how human activity affects the seal population. In many areas of their range, harbor seal numbers are falling, and understanding the animal’s stressors is crucial to their continued existence.
Tim Lyden is one of the fine wilderness rangers from Tracy Arm-Ford’s Terror Wilderness Area, and it was our good fortune to have him aboard this afternoon. The wilderness rangers patrol the fiords in kayaks, offering interpretation and sharing their passion for wild places with visitors. It is very encouraging to know that our wild lands are held by such caring and capable young adults.
