William’s Cove and Tracy Arm
Brilliant sunshine played across the water near Holkham Bay as the Sea Bird motored towards the morning destination at William’s Cove. Zodiacs whisked us ashore after breakfast for a variety of activities. Kayakers and hikers scattered off to explore the shallow bay and the lush forest, thick with ferns, mosses and prickly devil’s club. Faster hikers ascended to a soggy muskeg that lay nestled within the spruce and hemlocks at the end of the cove. A few lucky folks spotted a bear foraging among barnacle-encrusted stones and grazing on beach wild-rye grass. We watched from the safety of Zodiacs and kayaks until the shaggy creature retreated into the trees. Back at the landing, photographers gravitated towards a picturesque bergie bit, a miniature iceberg stranded by the ebbing tide. Crystalline ice against a backdrop of snowcapped peaks encapsulated the story created by the glaciers that carved the magnificent landscape of Southeast Alaska.
After lunch we journeyed into the majestic fjord known as Tracy Arm. Precipitous granite cliffs soared skyward from the silky turquoise water that gently lapped at their bases. The ship sailed on, past waterfalls and distant mountain goats, working her way up to both South Sawyer and Sawyer Glaciers. Although smaller than those in Glacier Bay, these two rivers of ice seem more intimate and more intensely blue. Growlers and bergie bits crowded the bay, as you can see in this picture, evidence of recent calving. Blue sky, blue water, blue ice - yet our moods were not blue as we retraced our route down the sinuous fjord and gathered for the farewell cocktail hour and our last dinner together.
Brilliant sunshine played across the water near Holkham Bay as the Sea Bird motored towards the morning destination at William’s Cove. Zodiacs whisked us ashore after breakfast for a variety of activities. Kayakers and hikers scattered off to explore the shallow bay and the lush forest, thick with ferns, mosses and prickly devil’s club. Faster hikers ascended to a soggy muskeg that lay nestled within the spruce and hemlocks at the end of the cove. A few lucky folks spotted a bear foraging among barnacle-encrusted stones and grazing on beach wild-rye grass. We watched from the safety of Zodiacs and kayaks until the shaggy creature retreated into the trees. Back at the landing, photographers gravitated towards a picturesque bergie bit, a miniature iceberg stranded by the ebbing tide. Crystalline ice against a backdrop of snowcapped peaks encapsulated the story created by the glaciers that carved the magnificent landscape of Southeast Alaska.
After lunch we journeyed into the majestic fjord known as Tracy Arm. Precipitous granite cliffs soared skyward from the silky turquoise water that gently lapped at their bases. The ship sailed on, past waterfalls and distant mountain goats, working her way up to both South Sawyer and Sawyer Glaciers. Although smaller than those in Glacier Bay, these two rivers of ice seem more intimate and more intensely blue. Growlers and bergie bits crowded the bay, as you can see in this picture, evidence of recent calving. Blue sky, blue water, blue ice - yet our moods were not blue as we retraced our route down the sinuous fjord and gathered for the farewell cocktail hour and our last dinner together.
