Tracy Arm
Southeast Alaska is one of a handful of places in the world to see fjords, and the glaciers that formed them at tidewater. The sheer cliff faces, over a hundred waterfalls and the aquamarine waters, make Tracy Arm one of the most stunningly picturesque fjords.
After a night's travel from Juneau, we woke this morning near the end of the Arm. By breakfast we'd already seen the craggy blue face of the Sawyer glacier and watched several large chunks of ice calve into the sea. Later in the morning, we explored the inlet formed by the South Sawyer glacier. By scanning the scene with binoculars, we discovered an abundance of life in this chilly place. There were mountain goats grazing in high alpine meadows, harbor seals with newborn pups hauled out on the ice floating in front of the glacier and bald eagles arguing over the afterbirth.
The remainder of our morning was spent cruising down Tracy Arm. Although it was cool out on deck, we kept scanning for wildlife and marveling at the glacier's handiwork. Late in the morning we arrived at "Hole-in-the-Wall" waterfall, and nosed in close for a misty view.
We reached our afternoon's anchorage by lunchtime, and began our explorations immediately after. The walkers found bright wildflowers in the meadows -- salmonberry, buttercup, paintbrush, and chocolate lilies; magenta, yellow, scarlet and brown. There were also big, old Sitka spruce trees, mosses, lichens and ferns in every imaginable color of green, and a recently dead bald eagle lying face down in the duff. The kayakers explored the head of Williams Cove more intimately. On the far side of the cove were several small waterfalls and lush overhanging vegetation. The real treat though, was watching a healthy chocolate-colored black bear grazing in a meadow. That explained the numerous piles of bear scat and the neatly clipped beach grasses!
Returning to hot showers, cocktails and a fine dinner made our exploration of the wilds of Alaska even sweeter -- and early to bed to rest up for tomorrow's adventures.
Southeast Alaska is one of a handful of places in the world to see fjords, and the glaciers that formed them at tidewater. The sheer cliff faces, over a hundred waterfalls and the aquamarine waters, make Tracy Arm one of the most stunningly picturesque fjords.
After a night's travel from Juneau, we woke this morning near the end of the Arm. By breakfast we'd already seen the craggy blue face of the Sawyer glacier and watched several large chunks of ice calve into the sea. Later in the morning, we explored the inlet formed by the South Sawyer glacier. By scanning the scene with binoculars, we discovered an abundance of life in this chilly place. There were mountain goats grazing in high alpine meadows, harbor seals with newborn pups hauled out on the ice floating in front of the glacier and bald eagles arguing over the afterbirth.
The remainder of our morning was spent cruising down Tracy Arm. Although it was cool out on deck, we kept scanning for wildlife and marveling at the glacier's handiwork. Late in the morning we arrived at "Hole-in-the-Wall" waterfall, and nosed in close for a misty view.
We reached our afternoon's anchorage by lunchtime, and began our explorations immediately after. The walkers found bright wildflowers in the meadows -- salmonberry, buttercup, paintbrush, and chocolate lilies; magenta, yellow, scarlet and brown. There were also big, old Sitka spruce trees, mosses, lichens and ferns in every imaginable color of green, and a recently dead bald eagle lying face down in the duff. The kayakers explored the head of Williams Cove more intimately. On the far side of the cove were several small waterfalls and lush overhanging vegetation. The real treat though, was watching a healthy chocolate-colored black bear grazing in a meadow. That explained the numerous piles of bear scat and the neatly clipped beach grasses!
Returning to hot showers, cocktails and a fine dinner made our exploration of the wilds of Alaska even sweeter -- and early to bed to rest up for tomorrow's adventures.
