Tracy Arm
Today would be the first Alaskan experience for many of us on board the M/V Sea Bird. Our day, week, and trip began with the phenomenon that has shaped this amazing place: ICE. We awoke in front of the Sawyer glacier. Sawyer is a tongue of ice that winds its way down from the Stikine ice field that runs along the border between Alaska and British Columbia. The gradient is quite steep so the ice we witnessed, both in place and that which had calved into the water, was only a few hundred years old. There was a magnificent calving of two towers of ice as we stared in anticipation of the inevitable but unpredictable event. It was then time to put our Zodiacs in the water for a closer look at 2 phases of H2O, solid and liquid. Growlers and bergy bits surrounded us as our drivers skillfully took us close to the face of the glaciers and the fjord walls nearby.
There were many waterfalls draining the out of sight snowpack of its moisture and depositing its payload into the waiting fjord below. During our transit out of Tracy Arm the officers showed just how close they can take the ship to the waterfalls with a bow approach we won’t soon forget.
The afternoon was spent in William’s Cove with a chance to kayak and walk in the temperate rain forest and learn about tress, flowers, skat, berries, and birds. Kayaking afforded us a quiet experience along the still shores of this small inlet.
When asked which was the best thing they did this day, one of the younger guests responded, “Everything between breakfast and dinner!” Quite a quote from a wise young person.
Today would be the first Alaskan experience for many of us on board the M/V Sea Bird. Our day, week, and trip began with the phenomenon that has shaped this amazing place: ICE. We awoke in front of the Sawyer glacier. Sawyer is a tongue of ice that winds its way down from the Stikine ice field that runs along the border between Alaska and British Columbia. The gradient is quite steep so the ice we witnessed, both in place and that which had calved into the water, was only a few hundred years old. There was a magnificent calving of two towers of ice as we stared in anticipation of the inevitable but unpredictable event. It was then time to put our Zodiacs in the water for a closer look at 2 phases of H2O, solid and liquid. Growlers and bergy bits surrounded us as our drivers skillfully took us close to the face of the glaciers and the fjord walls nearby.
There were many waterfalls draining the out of sight snowpack of its moisture and depositing its payload into the waiting fjord below. During our transit out of Tracy Arm the officers showed just how close they can take the ship to the waterfalls with a bow approach we won’t soon forget.
The afternoon was spent in William’s Cove with a chance to kayak and walk in the temperate rain forest and learn about tress, flowers, skat, berries, and birds. Kayaking afforded us a quiet experience along the still shores of this small inlet.
When asked which was the best thing they did this day, one of the younger guests responded, “Everything between breakfast and dinner!” Quite a quote from a wise young person.
