Tracy Arm and Williams Cove
Sky Blue. Baby Blue. Azure. Cobalt. Aquamarine. Silver. Sapphire. Indigo. Turquoise. So many different shades and variations of sculptured ice. So many combinations of density, thickness and purity. Light entering the crystalline lattice and exiting enriched in blue wavelengths after having lost its reds to the absorptive qualities of hydrogen bonds. We too were lost among the ice this morning, drifting in Zodiacs amongst frozen the frozen behemoths remnants of the ice age, absorbed in the spontaneity glacier calving. Seals graced us with their inquisitive stares; porpoises ignored us, purposefully pursuing their prey amidst our Zodiacs. Our first true taste of wild Alaska—mist, mountains, rain, ice and wild creatures; mountain goats reclining amidst the Alders; elusive black bears tantalizing us with their berry-filled scat; golden sunlight penetrating broken cloud to illuminate distant peaks. It was wonderful, it was stimulating, it was mud and boots and glory!
How can we capture a day like this with mere words on a page? We awoke circling a glacier the length of our ship, and many times our mass. We spent our morning watching thousands (millions?) of tons of ice cascading and plummeting into the sea. We cruised the steep granite and schist faces of this awesome fjord, breaking only for food, power naps and a presentation that mapped the exploration history the northwest. We went ashore in Williams Cove and walked through bogs, mud and forest, replacing blue with the myriad of soothing greens that grace the Tongass National Forest. Some of us kayaked among ice sculptures and waterfalls, drinking in the solace of this calm cove. All of us spent the evening relaxing, dining, and reflecting on the first day of our expedition adventure.
Sky Blue. Baby Blue. Azure. Cobalt. Aquamarine. Silver. Sapphire. Indigo. Turquoise. So many different shades and variations of sculptured ice. So many combinations of density, thickness and purity. Light entering the crystalline lattice and exiting enriched in blue wavelengths after having lost its reds to the absorptive qualities of hydrogen bonds. We too were lost among the ice this morning, drifting in Zodiacs amongst frozen the frozen behemoths remnants of the ice age, absorbed in the spontaneity glacier calving. Seals graced us with their inquisitive stares; porpoises ignored us, purposefully pursuing their prey amidst our Zodiacs. Our first true taste of wild Alaska—mist, mountains, rain, ice and wild creatures; mountain goats reclining amidst the Alders; elusive black bears tantalizing us with their berry-filled scat; golden sunlight penetrating broken cloud to illuminate distant peaks. It was wonderful, it was stimulating, it was mud and boots and glory!
How can we capture a day like this with mere words on a page? We awoke circling a glacier the length of our ship, and many times our mass. We spent our morning watching thousands (millions?) of tons of ice cascading and plummeting into the sea. We cruised the steep granite and schist faces of this awesome fjord, breaking only for food, power naps and a presentation that mapped the exploration history the northwest. We went ashore in Williams Cove and walked through bogs, mud and forest, replacing blue with the myriad of soothing greens that grace the Tongass National Forest. Some of us kayaked among ice sculptures and waterfalls, drinking in the solace of this calm cove. All of us spent the evening relaxing, dining, and reflecting on the first day of our expedition adventure.
