There truly could be no better way to conclude our expedition in Southeast Alaska than to spend the day surrounded by the features left behind by the very force that shaped this part of the world. That force would of course be glaciers, so integral to nearly every aspect of what we've experienced this last week. Our day began as we sailed up the southern fjord of f Holkham Bay, named Endicott Arm. This nearly 30-mile-long fjord situated off the mainland of Southeast Alaska is one of the most beautiful and dramatic settings to experience by ship. The sheer granite walls polished smooth by the massive glacial complex that once covered nearly all of the surrounding mountains and was over a mile thick during the last ice age. Now remnant hanging glaciers can still be seen perched high above the fjord with their characteristic U-shaped valleys bellow giving evidence of the glacial past. But perhaps even more impressive than the shapes, textures, and the myriad of waterfalls cascading down the granite walls would be catching first sight of the Dawes Glacier as it appeared around one of the many bends in the fjord. As we navigated closer and closer, the glacier still miles in the distance, we could see the twisting river of ice with the dark ribbons of medial moraines terminating at the water’s edge. As grand a sight as this was we decided to take it one step further by lowering our inflatable boats and setting out to get an up close and personal look at the Dawes Glacier. It is from this perspective that the scale, grandeur, and magnitude of this landscape would come into sharp focus for us all. The glacier itself is fed by the massive Stickeen icefield and though it once was much larger and filled this entire fjord it still runs over 20 miles in length from centuries old snowfall up high in the mountains until it sheds its icy burden in the rich waters of Endicott Arm. With the near ever present rain falling, harbor seals swimming about and lounging on the ice flows cast off from the glacier, we gazed in awe at the over 100 foot wall of rich blue ice, the occasional rumbling of “white thunder” as the Dawes Glacier creeps towards the sea.
We pulled away from the Dawes Glacier just before lunch in order to reach our afternoon destination of Ford's Terror. This offshoot of the Endicott Arm got its name due to the narrow constriction in the fjord that with each flooding tide can produce maelstrom like currents and rips as the dramatic tidal shifts here ebb and flow twice a day. With the relatively abundant rainfall over the last couple of weeks, well actually it's just the normal precipitation for this time of year, we were overwhelmed by the number of waterfalls and the volume of water crashing and pouring down the granite walls, literally thousands of ribbon falls and dozens of roaring cascades animated the fjord.
Returning to the ship, some a bit damp but all very thrilled with the day we readied for the evening’s festivities, our guest slideshow from the voyage along with the Captain's farewell cocktails and dinner making for a pleasant way to wrap up our final day here in Southeast Alaska.
