Tracy Arm and Ford’s Terror Wilderness
This monolithic and bluer than blue iceberg bobbed gently in front of South Sawyer glacier this morning as our Zodiacs threaded their way through thick brash ice at the head of Tracy Arm fiord. Our timing was perfect as the icy face of the glacier dropped pieces and chunks and falls of frozen water accompanied by the crashing sounds of “white thunder” all morning long. On our return trip down the inlet to the Sea Bird, we spent a bit of time admiring the incredible colors and shapes of the striated rock faces and heard the amazing story of the accreted terranes of southeast Alaska.
We anchored in William’s Cove, near the mouth of Tracy Arm, for an afternoon of delightful activities. The forest and beach trails here provided a fascinating classroom for an introduction to temperate rainforest ecology of the Tongass National Forest. We wandered among large Sitka spruce and western hemlock trees dripping with interesting mosses and lichens and enjoyed learning about the complex web of understory plants. Most kayakers headed down the small bay toward an irresistible grounded iceberg. What a wonderful first day filled with discovery and the wild raw beauty of nature.
This monolithic and bluer than blue iceberg bobbed gently in front of South Sawyer glacier this morning as our Zodiacs threaded their way through thick brash ice at the head of Tracy Arm fiord. Our timing was perfect as the icy face of the glacier dropped pieces and chunks and falls of frozen water accompanied by the crashing sounds of “white thunder” all morning long. On our return trip down the inlet to the Sea Bird, we spent a bit of time admiring the incredible colors and shapes of the striated rock faces and heard the amazing story of the accreted terranes of southeast Alaska.
We anchored in William’s Cove, near the mouth of Tracy Arm, for an afternoon of delightful activities. The forest and beach trails here provided a fascinating classroom for an introduction to temperate rainforest ecology of the Tongass National Forest. We wandered among large Sitka spruce and western hemlock trees dripping with interesting mosses and lichens and enjoyed learning about the complex web of understory plants. Most kayakers headed down the small bay toward an irresistible grounded iceberg. What a wonderful first day filled with discovery and the wild raw beauty of nature.
