Harbor seals, mountain goats, and calving glaciers – our day in Tracy Arm was full of photographic opportunities! With an overcast morning, the vibrant spectrum of glacial blue colors were on display as we swerved through the fjord. We turned our cameras towards the details of the ice, appreciating the complex differences between older and younger ice and the dancing, refracting light. Our day concluded with kayaking in the fjord before farewell cocktails and dinner. A beautiful send-off from Southeast Alaska.
- Daily Expedition Reports
- 16 Aug 2022
Tracy Arm-Fords Terror Wilderness, 8/16/2022, National Geographic Sea Lion
- Aboard the National Geographic Sea Lion
- Alaska
Brooke Juhala, Naturalist/Certified Photo Instructor
At 6-years-old, Brooke knew she wanted to be an Expedition Photographer. So much so, she insisted her mother sign her up for drawing classes - just in case her camera broke in-the-field. Ever since, her love for storytelling has inspired her to pursu...
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Alaska Escape: LeConte Bay, Wrangell and Misty Fjords
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5/29/2025
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National Geographic Sea Bird
Endicott Arm
Dawes Glacier, located at the head of Endicott Arm in Southeast Alaska, is an active tidewater glacier in the remote Tracy Arm-Fords Terror Wilderness Area. Reaching the glacier requires a 30-mile journey through a narrow fjord lined with sheer rock walls rising over 3,000 feet. These cliffs are veined with waterfalls and often blanketed in mist. Throughout the fjord, remnants of the glacier float in the form of icebergs. The glacier feeds cold, silty meltwater into the fjord, giving the water a distinctive milky-green hue and supporting a rich marine food web. Harbor seals were hauled out on ice floes near the glacier. Gulls and Arctic terns were actively feeding, likely drawn by the small fish and plankton concentrated by the glacial outflow. The glacier calved several times, hurling large chunks of ice across the water’s surface, sending the birds fleeing. The sound of the ice hitting the water echoed off the steep rock walls that rise thousands of feet on either side.
5/27/2025
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National Geographic Sea Bird
Dawes Glacier in Endicott Arm
We could not have asked for a better way to end the expedition. Our last day was amazing! Visiting Dawes Glacier in Endicott Arm was a highlight with its crystal-blue ice and resting harbor seals floating by on the ice. In the evening, we even got to see a couple of humpback whales off the bow of the ship. We ended the day by watching images of the beautiful moments created on our expedition during the famed guest photo slideshow.