Tracy Arm- Ford’s Terror Wilderness
As we move through the azure dreamland of icebergs toward the head of Endicott Arm, the fiord walls steepen, vegetation becomes sparser and the inlet narrows. By mid-morning we are dwarfed by ice-draped granite domes. The early clouds soon burn away, and we are faced with an awesome half mile of brilliant blue glacial ice stretching back into British Columbia, surrounded by hundreds of beautiful icy sculptures. Taking to the Zodiacs, we are soon enjoying water falling from hundreds of feet above us and curious glances from harbor seals. The ice breaks off with a loud cracking sound, Black oystercatchers make a raucous beep, and arctic terns screech and dive for bits of food near the ice face.
When the tides are just right, we sometimes visit Ford’s Terror. Here two dramatic small fiords are joined by a narrow and shallow waterway. Currents can exceed eight knots as the Pacific Ocean tries to squeeze through the channel. Dozens of thousand plus foot waterfalls fed by snowmelt in the high mountains fall in glorious ribbons into the fiord while Sitka spruces and alders cling to the sheer walls, seeming to defy gravity.
We take home our unexpected suntans and memory cards full of the stories we’ve shared in this vast and wild place.
