Tracy Arm-Fjords Terror Wilderness
This morning we awoke to clear skies in Endicott Arm and knew the day was going to be wonderful in the absence of precipitation. Traveling 34 miles to the end of Endicott Arm, we marveled over the tall walls of this amazing fjord. Shortly after dropping the anchor the Zodiacs were lowered and all aboard prepared for the trips’ first outing. Distances are deceiving, it was hard to fathom the almost 2 mile distance to Dawes Glacier and the size of the face in front of us. Along the way the Zodiacs weaved amongst the bergy bits and brash ice while observing the calving of the glacier. Passing Harbor Seals with pups hauled out on the ice, we realized the importance of these floating surfaces for this species. The ice providing refuge from predators and a place of rest. The new born pups will swim within and hour of their birth and will triple in size by the time they are weaned in 3-6 weeks. Like other pinnepeds and cetaceans, the mothers’ milk is high in fat allowing for rapid growth before being weaned. Overhead the flight of Arctic Terns told the amazing migration story of a bird that routinely travels from Alaska to Antarctica. The huge wingspan of juvenile bald eagles impressed upon us it’s claim to fame as our national bird. Approaching the tidewater glacier, impressive sounds caught our attention as we marveled at the 200 foot wall of ice that spread a mile across. It is hard to imagine what would unfold from the gunshot sounds coming from the plastic ice flow. The experience of this calving tidewater glacier (an old English word for a larger body giving birth to a smaller form) will be hard for us to share. The sounds, the colors, the size, the landscape that surrounded us was truly memorable.
As we turned our backs to Dawes Glacier and headed back to the Sea Bird, we were rewarded with the finale. Suddenly the displacement of water at the base drew our curiosity and the rarely seen shooter appeared. What we had just witnessed was calving that occurred below the waterline and a huge piece of ice, suddenly buoyant, rapidly shot to the surface. We returned to the ship with huge smiles having witnessed the origin of the ice surrounding the ship.
After lunch we had the opportunity to talk to Wilderness Rangers who were “working” in the area. They pulled their sea kayaks onto the stern and spent the remainder of the day with us. The afternoon took us into Fords Terror, another amazing area of Endicott Arm. In 1899 Harry Ford, draftsman and recorder aboard the steamer Patterson was sent in a rowboat to explore the fjord. Traveling up stream in a slack tide he was most surprised when he returned hours later to big rapids, whirlpools and fast moving icebergs. Thankfully the terror, which Ford experienced, was not relived aboard the Zodiacs. Exploring the length of the arm we again were amazed by the beauty that surrounded us. The landscape, carved by glaciers, containing numerous waterfalls and recent evidence of snow avalanche were omnipresent in this amazing place. The Captain challenged us to try to remember this place as we are destined to experience so many amazing places in the days to come.
This morning we awoke to clear skies in Endicott Arm and knew the day was going to be wonderful in the absence of precipitation. Traveling 34 miles to the end of Endicott Arm, we marveled over the tall walls of this amazing fjord. Shortly after dropping the anchor the Zodiacs were lowered and all aboard prepared for the trips’ first outing. Distances are deceiving, it was hard to fathom the almost 2 mile distance to Dawes Glacier and the size of the face in front of us. Along the way the Zodiacs weaved amongst the bergy bits and brash ice while observing the calving of the glacier. Passing Harbor Seals with pups hauled out on the ice, we realized the importance of these floating surfaces for this species. The ice providing refuge from predators and a place of rest. The new born pups will swim within and hour of their birth and will triple in size by the time they are weaned in 3-6 weeks. Like other pinnepeds and cetaceans, the mothers’ milk is high in fat allowing for rapid growth before being weaned. Overhead the flight of Arctic Terns told the amazing migration story of a bird that routinely travels from Alaska to Antarctica. The huge wingspan of juvenile bald eagles impressed upon us it’s claim to fame as our national bird. Approaching the tidewater glacier, impressive sounds caught our attention as we marveled at the 200 foot wall of ice that spread a mile across. It is hard to imagine what would unfold from the gunshot sounds coming from the plastic ice flow. The experience of this calving tidewater glacier (an old English word for a larger body giving birth to a smaller form) will be hard for us to share. The sounds, the colors, the size, the landscape that surrounded us was truly memorable.
As we turned our backs to Dawes Glacier and headed back to the Sea Bird, we were rewarded with the finale. Suddenly the displacement of water at the base drew our curiosity and the rarely seen shooter appeared. What we had just witnessed was calving that occurred below the waterline and a huge piece of ice, suddenly buoyant, rapidly shot to the surface. We returned to the ship with huge smiles having witnessed the origin of the ice surrounding the ship.
After lunch we had the opportunity to talk to Wilderness Rangers who were “working” in the area. They pulled their sea kayaks onto the stern and spent the remainder of the day with us. The afternoon took us into Fords Terror, another amazing area of Endicott Arm. In 1899 Harry Ford, draftsman and recorder aboard the steamer Patterson was sent in a rowboat to explore the fjord. Traveling up stream in a slack tide he was most surprised when he returned hours later to big rapids, whirlpools and fast moving icebergs. Thankfully the terror, which Ford experienced, was not relived aboard the Zodiacs. Exploring the length of the arm we again were amazed by the beauty that surrounded us. The landscape, carved by glaciers, containing numerous waterfalls and recent evidence of snow avalanche were omnipresent in this amazing place. The Captain challenged us to try to remember this place as we are destined to experience so many amazing places in the days to come.
