Endicott Arm and Tracy Arm
Alaska has many moods and today we experienced a bit of all of them. We awoke to a misty morning with clouds draping the mountaintops as we entered Endicott Arm with great excitement. This is part of the narrow fjord system that makes this area of Southeast Alaska so spectacular. As the Sea Bird approached the tidewater Dawes Glacier we passed many brilliant deep blue bergy bits of ice and discovered many creamy mountain goats grazing up high.
The morning’s activity was Zodiac cruises near the glacier’s edge. We were fortunate that the Dawes Glacier was in the mood to shed some ice. During each cruise we saw many dramatic awesome chunks of ice calving; everyone hoped to catch the action on film. There were also harbor seals resting on the ice flows, as it is the end of their pupping season. It was quite the experience to just shut the Zodiac engine off and listen to snap, crackle and pop of air bubbles being released from the ice, never mind the roaring white thunder of the glacier calving.
All too soon it was time to head back down towards the mouth of Holkham Bay. There were sightings of a young coastal brown bear and a black bear. We enjoyed the stunning scenery as we entered Tracey Arm, the other narrow fjord branch of this area. We saw many more picturesque waterfalls cascading down the sheer cliffs and looked for more wildlife. No one minded the drizzle and just appreciated our last full day in America’s final frontier.
Alaska has many moods and today we experienced a bit of all of them. We awoke to a misty morning with clouds draping the mountaintops as we entered Endicott Arm with great excitement. This is part of the narrow fjord system that makes this area of Southeast Alaska so spectacular. As the Sea Bird approached the tidewater Dawes Glacier we passed many brilliant deep blue bergy bits of ice and discovered many creamy mountain goats grazing up high.
The morning’s activity was Zodiac cruises near the glacier’s edge. We were fortunate that the Dawes Glacier was in the mood to shed some ice. During each cruise we saw many dramatic awesome chunks of ice calving; everyone hoped to catch the action on film. There were also harbor seals resting on the ice flows, as it is the end of their pupping season. It was quite the experience to just shut the Zodiac engine off and listen to snap, crackle and pop of air bubbles being released from the ice, never mind the roaring white thunder of the glacier calving.
All too soon it was time to head back down towards the mouth of Holkham Bay. There were sightings of a young coastal brown bear and a black bear. We enjoyed the stunning scenery as we entered Tracey Arm, the other narrow fjord branch of this area. We saw many more picturesque waterfalls cascading down the sheer cliffs and looked for more wildlife. No one minded the drizzle and just appreciated our last full day in America’s final frontier.
