Tracy Arm Fjord (06-19-14)

We spent a fair amount of time researching potential day trips to take in Juneau, and the boat trip to Tracy Arm Fjord topped our list (not coincidentally it was at the top of Tripadvisor’s list too).

A fjord is a deep sea inlet, usually carved by glaciers. They are characterized by steep walls. We boarded the 56’ Captain Cook at the port in Juneau, at 7:45 AM for a 4 hour ride to get to the Tracy Arm Fjord. This will be an all day excursion.

Before we even left the harbor the captain stopped the boat when we all pointed to what we thought was a struggling Bald Eagle in the water.  We were sort of right.

The Bald Eagle was swimming! The captain explained that when an eagle swoops down and catches a fish, he will NOT let it go- not for any reason.  Even if the fish is too big for him to carry.  Instead, he will swim ashore with the fish in his talons. According to Steve, the captain, the eagle will drown before dropping its prey.  None of us had ever seen this behavior before.

Soon thereafter we stopped again- this time for a small group of three humpback whales. We saw a few tail flips but not much else.  They were pretty close to us though.

After a few more hours we made the turn into the fjord and saw our first iceberg. 

This one was a bonus because it had a Bald Eagle sitting atop it.

As we moved deeper into the fjord, more icebergs began appearing. I won’t lie, it was pretty exciting!

With steep walls surrounding us, there was no shortage of waterfalls.

The harbor seals were sunning themselves on the icebergs.

90% of an iceberg sits under the waterline, so maneuvering around them may not be as easy as it seems.

Soon there were so many icebergs  the captain slowed the boat to a crawl.

It seemed that we were surrounded by ice and harbor seals.  The seals come here to have their pups because Orcas don’t like icebergs so they don’t come looking for them here.

Sawyer Glacier was very impressive when it came into view.  It was even more impressive when we learned that the forward section is 200 feet thick and the back section is about 600 feet thick.  That does not include the 800 feet that sits beneath the surface of the water.  Wow.

The icebergs appear blue because the ice is so dense, when light hits it, most of the colors in the spectrum dissipate, or are absorbed.  The only color that is left for us to see is the blue.  We were so glad we picked the only sunny day to come and view this beautiful phenomenon!

The color was stunning!

 
 

The weather was awesome, with partly sunny skies and temperatures in the 50s, for the most part. It felt cold when the boat was moving, and when we were in and among the icebergs.  You could definitely tell who is from Alaska.  The captain was in short sleeves most of the day.

This is the only good weather we've had since the day we got here.  More on that later.

One of the awesome phenomenon to witness is the calving of a glacier.  Small or large pieces fall off into the water.  We were able to see several pieces calve off, and even though they looked pretty small, we were told that the smallest was bigger than a car.  A few seconds after they hit the water, a huge ”boom” is heard- similar to a crack of  thunder. Pieces that fall from above splinter, and do not make icebergs. Only the pieces that calve off from below the water usually form icebergs.

We spent an hour or so watching the glacier, the icebergs, and the wildlife. 

Eventually it was time to start the 4 hour trek back to the dock.  We didn't stop to see anything on the way back.  Many of us saw an Orca swimming near shore, but he wasn't breaking surface enough to get a good look.

As for the rest of Juneau…..that will be the next post….