William Cove
Williams Cove juts north like a watery thumb from the glacially carved path of Tracy Arm. This shallow bay was the center of the morning’s activities. Kayakers, were now honed with the paddling experience of previous outings. The boats slipped past tree-lined margins and fanciful ice sculptures in the quiet bay. Hikers climbed over striped and speckled cobbles into the moss-carpeted forest. The calls of northwestern crows, thrushes, and flycatchers broke the silence as we wandered beneath the towering Sitka spruce and western hemlocks before returning through the wildflowers to the landing beach.
The ship turned east after lunch to travel up the deep fjord cut by the Sawyer Glacier. Uncounted waterfalls tumbled from the granite walls, and the Captain placed the bow so close to one that we could almost reach out and touch it. The flooded valley known as Tracy Arm wound inland. We looked up at bearded mountain goats and their kids that perched on the glacially rounded ridges high above rocky ledges that supported a thick growth of goatsbeard flowers. At the head of the fjord, Sawyer and South Sawyer glaciers rose abruptly from the sea. Criss-crossing veins of quartz decorated the rusty-colored metamorphic rocks scraped clean of vegetation. Adult arctic terns and their newly fledged young flew in front of the unbelievably blue ice wall ahead of us. The geology was spectacular, but we couldn’t resist the curious harbor seals like these in the photo. We lingered by these glaciers until just before recap, then the Sea Bird retraced her route back to Holkham Bay, following the trail that the two Sawyer glaciers would have traveled together as one so many years ago.
Our last evening together was filled with festivities and a delicious dinner. It will be difficult to go our separate ways in Juneau tomorrow, but memories of special places shared with family and new-found friends can stay with us forever.
Williams Cove juts north like a watery thumb from the glacially carved path of Tracy Arm. This shallow bay was the center of the morning’s activities. Kayakers, were now honed with the paddling experience of previous outings. The boats slipped past tree-lined margins and fanciful ice sculptures in the quiet bay. Hikers climbed over striped and speckled cobbles into the moss-carpeted forest. The calls of northwestern crows, thrushes, and flycatchers broke the silence as we wandered beneath the towering Sitka spruce and western hemlocks before returning through the wildflowers to the landing beach.
The ship turned east after lunch to travel up the deep fjord cut by the Sawyer Glacier. Uncounted waterfalls tumbled from the granite walls, and the Captain placed the bow so close to one that we could almost reach out and touch it. The flooded valley known as Tracy Arm wound inland. We looked up at bearded mountain goats and their kids that perched on the glacially rounded ridges high above rocky ledges that supported a thick growth of goatsbeard flowers. At the head of the fjord, Sawyer and South Sawyer glaciers rose abruptly from the sea. Criss-crossing veins of quartz decorated the rusty-colored metamorphic rocks scraped clean of vegetation. Adult arctic terns and their newly fledged young flew in front of the unbelievably blue ice wall ahead of us. The geology was spectacular, but we couldn’t resist the curious harbor seals like these in the photo. We lingered by these glaciers until just before recap, then the Sea Bird retraced her route back to Holkham Bay, following the trail that the two Sawyer glaciers would have traveled together as one so many years ago.
Our last evening together was filled with festivities and a delicious dinner. It will be difficult to go our separate ways in Juneau tomorrow, but memories of special places shared with family and new-found friends can stay with us forever.
