As we crossed the bar, the morning light came through the misting clouds to reveal the beautiful landscape of the Tracy Arm-Fords Terror Wilderness. National Geographic Sea Bird made its way up the fjord. Sheer cliff faces revealed themselves all around us on our way to see the South Sawyer Glacier. Once we arrived at the glacier, the icebergs impressed everyone with their incredible colors and shapes. Harbor seals rested on the floating ice. It was a magical day in Tracy Arm.
9/22/2024
Read
National Geographic Sea Lion
Inside Passage, British Columbia, Canada
We awoke this morning in the calm protected waters of the Inside Passage in British Columbia. These narrow passages are protected by the numerous islands buttressing the wild coastline; we quietly passed through the misty temperate rainforest on these rich marine channels as the eagles, gulls, shorebirds, and waterfowl barely acknowledged our intrusion. Our morning aboard, however, was busy with a variety of activities and presentations, interspersed with time to soak in the mysterious misty landscape. In the afternoon we had tours in our expedition landing craft through the Jackson Narrows Marine Reserve, where small streams poured out of the dark, green forest. Cedars, hemlocks, spruces and alders overhung the banks, the lush verdant growth starkly clinging in a thin organic layer to the exposed gray granodiorite rocks. The presence of numerous bald eagles and glaucous-winged gulls gave away the presence of spawning salmon in the narrow creek mouths. The brown-stained waters emphasized the intimate connection of the forest and the marine landscape surrounding us.
