Endicott Arm, Southeast Alaska
We awakened to stunning mountainous scenery in Endicott Arm, and it continued to get better. After breakfast, we ventured by Zodiac into Ford’s Terror, explored by H. L. Ford in a rowboat. He had no problem entering the narrow constriction at slack tide, but it was a different story when he tried to return at mid-tide. He battled terrifying icebergs, whirlpools, and white-water rapids. The tides were calm for us today, and we enjoyed the serenity and magnificence of the inner fjord with gushing waterfalls and precipitous cliffs.
Approaching Dawes Glacier at the end of Endicott Arm, reflections doubled the enormity of what we saw and felt. In the Zodiacs near the towering face of the glacier, we were humbled amongst the ice and the thunderous calvings that demonstrated both the power and the vulnerability of the glaciers in this time of climate instability. Yet it was thrilling and elevated our sense of aliveness and connection to nature.
From barnacles and newts to bears and whales, we were fortunate to have the quality, as well as quantity in some cases, of a diversity of organisms during our voyage. Tons and tons of whales, and 30 bears, for example! As we reflect back on all that has happened this week, we realize what a smorgasbord of “food for thought” our experiences have provided us. Such awe-inspiring beauty and grandeur combined with the excitement of observing wildlife – great and small – in its natural environment provokes powerful emotional responses. We explored themes and topics as complex as the tortuous waterways of Southeast Alaska in which we traveled. Yet there is still much more of the state, and of our intellects to be probed. No matter how much we see and learn, there is always more to know and understand. Often it helps us look inward and also gives us a thirst for more.
We awakened to stunning mountainous scenery in Endicott Arm, and it continued to get better. After breakfast, we ventured by Zodiac into Ford’s Terror, explored by H. L. Ford in a rowboat. He had no problem entering the narrow constriction at slack tide, but it was a different story when he tried to return at mid-tide. He battled terrifying icebergs, whirlpools, and white-water rapids. The tides were calm for us today, and we enjoyed the serenity and magnificence of the inner fjord with gushing waterfalls and precipitous cliffs.
Approaching Dawes Glacier at the end of Endicott Arm, reflections doubled the enormity of what we saw and felt. In the Zodiacs near the towering face of the glacier, we were humbled amongst the ice and the thunderous calvings that demonstrated both the power and the vulnerability of the glaciers in this time of climate instability. Yet it was thrilling and elevated our sense of aliveness and connection to nature.
From barnacles and newts to bears and whales, we were fortunate to have the quality, as well as quantity in some cases, of a diversity of organisms during our voyage. Tons and tons of whales, and 30 bears, for example! As we reflect back on all that has happened this week, we realize what a smorgasbord of “food for thought” our experiences have provided us. Such awe-inspiring beauty and grandeur combined with the excitement of observing wildlife – great and small – in its natural environment provokes powerful emotional responses. We explored themes and topics as complex as the tortuous waterways of Southeast Alaska in which we traveled. Yet there is still much more of the state, and of our intellects to be probed. No matter how much we see and learn, there is always more to know and understand. Often it helps us look inward and also gives us a thirst for more.
