Tracy Arm
Early this morning we entered Holkham Bay on the east side of Stephens Passage. Sailing 32 miles down Tracy Arm we marveled at the steep walls of the deep fjord (1242’ at its deepest) and truly felt that we had arrived at one of the most beautiful places on the planet. Emerging from our berths and cabins sounds of awe were heard along the companionway as adults and children alike awoke surrounded by the vestiges of an Ice Age past.
Upon dropping anchor Zodiacs were lowered from the lido deck and soon our cabins called to embark on the first journey of the day. Dodging brash and growler ice we skirted even larger bergy bits and occasional icebergs as South Sawyer Glacier calved before us providing even more grounds for the harbor seals to haul out on. Popping their heads out amongst the ice we were escorted along the arm in the presence of this pinniped. Harbor seals seek protection from their main predator, the orca, who will avoid these ice-choked environments, as the ice disrupts their echolocation. The seals use the floating ice to haul out and deliver their pups. Pups born in June and July have already been weaned after 6 weeks of nursing and will now ply the waters searching for herring, salmon, hooligan (smelt), and pollock.
Continuing to make our way closer to the glacier we could not help but wonder what made the ice so blue. The visible light from the sun is made up of the spectrum of colors that you see in a rainbow. When the sunlight strikes glacial ice, most of the colors of the spectrum are absorbed-only the blue wavelengths are reflected to your eye. The calving, the color, the seals and the sun… what more could we ask for to start our journey along the Inside Passage of Southeast Alaska?
Leaving the head of Tracy Arm we stopped at Sawyer Glacier en route to Williams Cove. After lunch we prepared for kayaking and hiking in the temperate rainforest of the Tongass National Forest. Enjoying the quietude of being in our boats so low to the water and experiencing the lush forest first hand gave us even a greater sense of place and appreciation for the pristine land around us. To top off the day, humpback whales joined us after dinner off the bow, reminding us that we are not alone in this marine world and that anything can happen.
Early this morning we entered Holkham Bay on the east side of Stephens Passage. Sailing 32 miles down Tracy Arm we marveled at the steep walls of the deep fjord (1242’ at its deepest) and truly felt that we had arrived at one of the most beautiful places on the planet. Emerging from our berths and cabins sounds of awe were heard along the companionway as adults and children alike awoke surrounded by the vestiges of an Ice Age past.
Upon dropping anchor Zodiacs were lowered from the lido deck and soon our cabins called to embark on the first journey of the day. Dodging brash and growler ice we skirted even larger bergy bits and occasional icebergs as South Sawyer Glacier calved before us providing even more grounds for the harbor seals to haul out on. Popping their heads out amongst the ice we were escorted along the arm in the presence of this pinniped. Harbor seals seek protection from their main predator, the orca, who will avoid these ice-choked environments, as the ice disrupts their echolocation. The seals use the floating ice to haul out and deliver their pups. Pups born in June and July have already been weaned after 6 weeks of nursing and will now ply the waters searching for herring, salmon, hooligan (smelt), and pollock.
Continuing to make our way closer to the glacier we could not help but wonder what made the ice so blue. The visible light from the sun is made up of the spectrum of colors that you see in a rainbow. When the sunlight strikes glacial ice, most of the colors of the spectrum are absorbed-only the blue wavelengths are reflected to your eye. The calving, the color, the seals and the sun… what more could we ask for to start our journey along the Inside Passage of Southeast Alaska?
Leaving the head of Tracy Arm we stopped at Sawyer Glacier en route to Williams Cove. After lunch we prepared for kayaking and hiking in the temperate rainforest of the Tongass National Forest. Enjoying the quietude of being in our boats so low to the water and experiencing the lush forest first hand gave us even a greater sense of place and appreciation for the pristine land around us. To top off the day, humpback whales joined us after dinner off the bow, reminding us that we are not alone in this marine world and that anything can happen.
