Williams Cove and Tracy Arm
We began our voyage with a bang - literally. Before we left we enjoyed America’s first fireworks celebration at midnight as the sky over Juneau harbor lit up with many colors as the rocket booms reverberated across the hilltops. During the early hours of the morning we left the dock to make our way towards Williams Cove.
It was a lovely sunny morning as we went for our first walks in the temperate rain forest of southeast Alaska. A wonderful introduction to this fantastic habitat, we discovered the difference between Sitka spruce and western hemlock trees among several other things. Many of us also went for our first kayak in the calm waters for a different perspective of the cove. The eagle eyes of our purser spotted a black bear foraging on barnacles from her office on the Sea Bird. Some of us watched this young bear roll large rocks over while looking for tasty treats to eat.
In the afternoon we sailed up Tracy Arm, a tight and narrow fjord with two glaciers at its terminus. “Ice was here, ice was there, ice was everywhere”, this famous quote certainly applied as we sailed towards South Sawyer glacier. The South Sawyer glacier has receded almost a mile and a half in the last year and is still very actively calving. Captain Kay expertly maneuvered through the little bits of brash ice and around stunning deep blue icebergs to place the ship within just under a mile of this breathtaking sight. It is the first time this summer that we have been able to get so close to this glacier and it was very exciting to spend the afternoon here. There were numerous, cute harbor seals resting on the ice and several mothers still nursing their pups. We saw several calvings of tons of glacier ice into the sea. It was nature’s fireworks in full display and a fantastic way to celebrate the 4th of July holiday.
We began our voyage with a bang - literally. Before we left we enjoyed America’s first fireworks celebration at midnight as the sky over Juneau harbor lit up with many colors as the rocket booms reverberated across the hilltops. During the early hours of the morning we left the dock to make our way towards Williams Cove.
It was a lovely sunny morning as we went for our first walks in the temperate rain forest of southeast Alaska. A wonderful introduction to this fantastic habitat, we discovered the difference between Sitka spruce and western hemlock trees among several other things. Many of us also went for our first kayak in the calm waters for a different perspective of the cove. The eagle eyes of our purser spotted a black bear foraging on barnacles from her office on the Sea Bird. Some of us watched this young bear roll large rocks over while looking for tasty treats to eat.
In the afternoon we sailed up Tracy Arm, a tight and narrow fjord with two glaciers at its terminus. “Ice was here, ice was there, ice was everywhere”, this famous quote certainly applied as we sailed towards South Sawyer glacier. The South Sawyer glacier has receded almost a mile and a half in the last year and is still very actively calving. Captain Kay expertly maneuvered through the little bits of brash ice and around stunning deep blue icebergs to place the ship within just under a mile of this breathtaking sight. It is the first time this summer that we have been able to get so close to this glacier and it was very exciting to spend the afternoon here. There were numerous, cute harbor seals resting on the ice and several mothers still nursing their pups. We saw several calvings of tons of glacier ice into the sea. It was nature’s fireworks in full display and a fantastic way to celebrate the 4th of July holiday.
