This morning aboard National Geographic Quest, we found ourselves timing the tides to make it possible for the ship to cross the bar, the end moraine of Sawyer Glacier. This is the point Sawyer Glacier advanced to, and deposited the debris it picked up along the way.
Always a crowd favorite, Zodiac cruising through Tracy Arm Fjord. Having to bob and weave through growlers, bergy bits, and icebergs, leaves guests with wonderment. The sense of scale felt next to a massive iceberg is only dwarfed by the glacier itself. The amount of ice floating nearer the face of the glacier inspired hope of recent activity. And active it was. Before lunch, guests on our first round of Zodiacs were rewarded with many calving events coming from all sides of the glacier. No spot was more active than the middle of the face. Time came to an end for the first cruise, but our drivers were quite excited to get back out there after lunch to see if any larger chunks had calved.
Low and behold, over our lunchtime period, Sawyer had gifted our second-round cruisers an enormous iceberg to be in awe of. It was an unstable-looking centerpiece of the face that had calved. A curious cowbird also came to say high to a few of our Zodiacs. It even found a nice lookout spot, on the beanie, atop our certified photo instructor’s head!
Both rounds of cruisers got a visit from the friendliest “Vikings” in the fjord as well. The delivery of hot cocoa, baileys, and peppermint schnapps was received well!
