Tracy Arm – Ford’s Terror Wilderness
It seemed as though our entire week built toward the grandeur of today. After cruising north from Petersburg last night, we awoke this morning in the upper reaches of Tracy Arm, surrounded by ice of varying size and shape. This steep-walled fjord was created by glaciers flowing out of the Coast Range, rounding lower peaks and gouging parallel “chatter marks” in the granite walls. Both Sawyer and South Sawyer glaciers have been incredibly active in the past two years, calving massive slabs of ice into the fjord. We marveled at the color of the larger bergs, and oohed over harbor seal mothers and pups hauled out on the ice. Later in the morning we nosed in close to Hole-in-the-Wall waterfall, for photos and to feel a little mist on our faces.
Crossing “the bar”, or terminal moraine, against a four knot flood was very dramatic, with eagles and gulls diving for fish in the swirling currents. Several humpback whales appeared to be feeding in these productive waters as well, with one lunging far out of the water directly ahead of us and another doing a full-body breach before swimming away. In the late morning, Kevin Hood, a U.S. Forest Service Wilderness Ranger paddled his kayak over and came aboard to speak about this stunning wilderness area and his work here. Lively discussion of the Tongass as the nation’s largest National Forest and land use designations within the Tongass ensued.
Our afternoon was spent in intimate exploration of the last few miles of Endicott Arm and the face of Dawes Glacier. Most folks chose Zodiac tours among the bergs toward the face of the glacier, where we witnessed sizable calving events. Kayakers marveled at the immensity of the place, paddling close to waterfalls and craning necks to see straight up the fjord wall. All of us felt the solitude of an undisturbed, wild place and were grateful.
It seemed as though our entire week built toward the grandeur of today. After cruising north from Petersburg last night, we awoke this morning in the upper reaches of Tracy Arm, surrounded by ice of varying size and shape. This steep-walled fjord was created by glaciers flowing out of the Coast Range, rounding lower peaks and gouging parallel “chatter marks” in the granite walls. Both Sawyer and South Sawyer glaciers have been incredibly active in the past two years, calving massive slabs of ice into the fjord. We marveled at the color of the larger bergs, and oohed over harbor seal mothers and pups hauled out on the ice. Later in the morning we nosed in close to Hole-in-the-Wall waterfall, for photos and to feel a little mist on our faces.
Crossing “the bar”, or terminal moraine, against a four knot flood was very dramatic, with eagles and gulls diving for fish in the swirling currents. Several humpback whales appeared to be feeding in these productive waters as well, with one lunging far out of the water directly ahead of us and another doing a full-body breach before swimming away. In the late morning, Kevin Hood, a U.S. Forest Service Wilderness Ranger paddled his kayak over and came aboard to speak about this stunning wilderness area and his work here. Lively discussion of the Tongass as the nation’s largest National Forest and land use designations within the Tongass ensued.
Our afternoon was spent in intimate exploration of the last few miles of Endicott Arm and the face of Dawes Glacier. Most folks chose Zodiac tours among the bergs toward the face of the glacier, where we witnessed sizable calving events. Kayakers marveled at the immensity of the place, paddling close to waterfalls and craning necks to see straight up the fjord wall. All of us felt the solitude of an undisturbed, wild place and were grateful.
