Sawyer Glacier
The Sea Bird entered Tracy Arm long before breakfast on June 9 and we awoke to find a perfect day. The sky remained near cloudless and the wind calm as we traveled the wonderful twisting fiord that was carved by Sawyer glacier. Early risers were treated to the shear walls of tonalite and gneiss capped by ice that extended over 5,000 feet above sea level along the narrow fiord. We slowly made our way through icebergs to within a quarter mile of South Sawyer glacier where we were treated to views of harbor seals resting on icebergs and bergs shooting up from beneath the south end of the ice. We went below deck to enjoy breakfast while the Sea Bird turned back to Sawyer glacier on the north side of the fiord.
Before reaching the ice we spotted two mountain goats with young in excellent sight along the cliffs. The cliffs of mixed igneous and metamorphic rock, or migmatite, formed a black, white, and gray swirl of rock that must have behaved like toothpaste as it was metamorphosed, deformed, and melted deep within the Earth. As the ship turned away from the glacier and toward Holkham Bay, we picked up two wilderness rangers from U.S. Forest Service. These rangers had kayaked up the fiord to count harbor seals and were excited by the prospect of a ride back out of the fiord -- a distance of about 25 miles. During the fantastic trip out of Tracy Arm we examined numerous glacial and other geological features, including the torrent of water known as "hole in the wall." Before exiting the fiord we were treated to excellent views of a black bear eating barnacles in the intertidal zone. The afternoon was spent hiking and kayaking in Williams Cove and the Sea Bird got under way for a northbound trip up Stephens Passage just before dinner.
The Sea Bird entered Tracy Arm long before breakfast on June 9 and we awoke to find a perfect day. The sky remained near cloudless and the wind calm as we traveled the wonderful twisting fiord that was carved by Sawyer glacier. Early risers were treated to the shear walls of tonalite and gneiss capped by ice that extended over 5,000 feet above sea level along the narrow fiord. We slowly made our way through icebergs to within a quarter mile of South Sawyer glacier where we were treated to views of harbor seals resting on icebergs and bergs shooting up from beneath the south end of the ice. We went below deck to enjoy breakfast while the Sea Bird turned back to Sawyer glacier on the north side of the fiord.
Before reaching the ice we spotted two mountain goats with young in excellent sight along the cliffs. The cliffs of mixed igneous and metamorphic rock, or migmatite, formed a black, white, and gray swirl of rock that must have behaved like toothpaste as it was metamorphosed, deformed, and melted deep within the Earth. As the ship turned away from the glacier and toward Holkham Bay, we picked up two wilderness rangers from U.S. Forest Service. These rangers had kayaked up the fiord to count harbor seals and were excited by the prospect of a ride back out of the fiord -- a distance of about 25 miles. During the fantastic trip out of Tracy Arm we examined numerous glacial and other geological features, including the torrent of water known as "hole in the wall." Before exiting the fiord we were treated to excellent views of a black bear eating barnacles in the intertidal zone. The afternoon was spent hiking and kayaking in Williams Cove and the Sea Bird got under way for a northbound trip up Stephens Passage just before dinner.
