We awoke today in beautiful Tracy Arm – Fords Terror Wilderness. On our way to see South Sawyer Glacier we took in the steep walls of the fjord (glacially-carved canyon). The misty clouds hugging the mountaintops reminded us that we are in a temperate rainforest. Along the way, we saw a sea lion, harbor seals, and mountain goats. We positioned National Geographic Sea Lion within sight of South Sawyer Glacier, which is a tidewater glacier that touches the ocean. After breakfast, we were off to get an even closer view of the glacier on small Zodiacs. While we were taking in the view, some fantastic calving events happened, resulting in cheers of joy. We saw many more harbor seals, arctic terns, short-billed gulls, and glaucous-winged gulls. The Zodiacs were so much fun to ride in, and our Zodiac captain got us close to the waterfalls for a great photo opportunity.
We returned to the ship for warm drinks and a wonderful lunch. Next we visited Sawyer Glacier, the northernmost glacier within Tracy Arm fjord. This is not a tidewater glacier, but it is still very beautiful. We made a pit stop near Cascade Waterfall, where the Captain showed off his amazing skills: getting the bow of National Geographic Sea Lion nice and close for photos. Afterwards, our photo instructor Alex gave a great presentation on iPhone photography. The rest of the afternoon was spent cruising for wildlife on our way to Haines for tomorrow’s activities. Dinner was very tasty, and then we attended an interesting presentation about Alaska’s geology by Tim.
