Tracy Arm, Southeast Alaska
Tracy Arm is perhaps the most spectacular scenery in Southeast Alaska. Our morning was spent winding our way to the very end of this 22-mile-long fjord. Stunning scenery acted as a tonic as it soaked into our every pore. The finale was Sawyer and South Sawyer Glaciers and the calving they produced. Ice cascaded down their faces and sent white spray shooting skyward like aquatic fireworks. Sawyer Glacier also gave us the sounds of rifle shots and the explosions we relate to pyrotechnic displays.
Arctic terns, like the ones pictured above, soon fly to the area. These small birds feed on the small fish that are brought to the surface in the ensuing turmoil of rising water. Chicks on nearby rocks wait for the freshly caught food.
Later in the afternoon we anchored at the head of Tracy Arm at William's Cove and hiked and kayaked. The option to explore by foot or paddle seems essential to an outdoor experience. Great joy can be gained by claiming familiarity with a place - one has to squish the moss under one's feet and glide quietly through the scenery reflected in calm water.
Tracy Arm is perhaps the most spectacular scenery in Southeast Alaska. Our morning was spent winding our way to the very end of this 22-mile-long fjord. Stunning scenery acted as a tonic as it soaked into our every pore. The finale was Sawyer and South Sawyer Glaciers and the calving they produced. Ice cascaded down their faces and sent white spray shooting skyward like aquatic fireworks. Sawyer Glacier also gave us the sounds of rifle shots and the explosions we relate to pyrotechnic displays.
Arctic terns, like the ones pictured above, soon fly to the area. These small birds feed on the small fish that are brought to the surface in the ensuing turmoil of rising water. Chicks on nearby rocks wait for the freshly caught food.
Later in the afternoon we anchored at the head of Tracy Arm at William's Cove and hiked and kayaked. The option to explore by foot or paddle seems essential to an outdoor experience. Great joy can be gained by claiming familiarity with a place - one has to squish the moss under one's feet and glide quietly through the scenery reflected in calm water.
