At 6 a.m. this morning our expedition leader gave us an early wakeup call. We were surrounded by a large group of humpback whales. The sun was shining in clear skies on glassy water. Shutters clicked, coffee was sipped, and our day began with the calm serenity of surfacing and diving whales. My loyal stretchers managed to drag themselves away from the bow and we enjoyed our last class together with a backdrop of snow-capped mountains and a soundtrack of whale blows.
Our morning anchorage was at a place called Williams Cove. Most of us took advantage of one last chance to get our rubber boots dirty. We followed a bear trail along the edge of a scenic forest, occasionally dipping out of the woods and into the tall grass and the rocky shoreline. The second half of our morning found us back on the water, either in kayaks or expedition landing craft, where we explored the shoreline, admired a brilliant blue iceberg, and discovered a hidden waterfall.
This afternoon we cruised through a narrow and spectacular fjord called Tracy Arm. It is surely one of the most beautiful places on the planet and embodies much of what we imagine when we think of Alaska. We were able to get close-up views of South Sawyer glacier from our expedition landing craft, and we were lucky to see and hear some calving. There were seals hauled out on the ice, the “growlers” floated like abstract ice sculptures, and waterfalls poured down the steep face of the surrounding mountainside.
It was a beautiful close to a completely magical week! Alaska shared so much with us this week and it was an absolute pleasure to share it with all of you!
