South Sawyer Glacier, Tracy Arm, Southeastern Alaska
After leaving Juneau, the landlocked capital of Alaska, at midday and heading south, we arrived at the fjord of Tracy Arm. Considered the most beautiful of North America's fjords, it is around 25 miles long and has sheer granite cliffs rising as much as 2000 feet above the waterline. We made a very careful crossing over an enormous terminal moraine of gravel and sand at the entrance to the fjord. Shortly thereafter were able to make a very close approach to black bear grazing on barnacles along the shoreline. At the head of the fjord, South Sawyer Glacier is very active, calving many icebergs and therefore the approach to it is very difficult. The large number of ice pieces of every imaginable size makes the viewing of them a delightful experience. These two glaciers are fed by the Stikine Icefield, the largest in Southeastern Alaska and British Columbia with an area of about 1300 square miles.
As we approached the ice front shivering in temperature of 45 degrees, our bartender Sarah and hotel manager Cindy suddenly appeared on the front deck with a great vat of hot, spiced cider (fortified or not). This was a chilly but magical moment with snow-covered granite mountains emerging from the mist above the intensely blue glacial ice. As the sun set we made our way back down the fjord past cliffs that soared into the darkening sky.
For an after dinner aperitif we gathered on the bow for an incredibly close approach to the mist-shrouded Hole-in-the-Wall waterfall, which was illuminated by spotlights from the ship. As the water cascaded downward within a few feet of our bow, we were mesmerized-yet again-and probably not the for the last time on this remarkable trip.
After leaving Juneau, the landlocked capital of Alaska, at midday and heading south, we arrived at the fjord of Tracy Arm. Considered the most beautiful of North America's fjords, it is around 25 miles long and has sheer granite cliffs rising as much as 2000 feet above the waterline. We made a very careful crossing over an enormous terminal moraine of gravel and sand at the entrance to the fjord. Shortly thereafter were able to make a very close approach to black bear grazing on barnacles along the shoreline. At the head of the fjord, South Sawyer Glacier is very active, calving many icebergs and therefore the approach to it is very difficult. The large number of ice pieces of every imaginable size makes the viewing of them a delightful experience. These two glaciers are fed by the Stikine Icefield, the largest in Southeastern Alaska and British Columbia with an area of about 1300 square miles.
As we approached the ice front shivering in temperature of 45 degrees, our bartender Sarah and hotel manager Cindy suddenly appeared on the front deck with a great vat of hot, spiced cider (fortified or not). This was a chilly but magical moment with snow-covered granite mountains emerging from the mist above the intensely blue glacial ice. As the sun set we made our way back down the fjord past cliffs that soared into the darkening sky.
For an after dinner aperitif we gathered on the bow for an incredibly close approach to the mist-shrouded Hole-in-the-Wall waterfall, which was illuminated by spotlights from the ship. As the water cascaded downward within a few feet of our bow, we were mesmerized-yet again-and probably not the for the last time on this remarkable trip.
