On our way South last night we made a stop in Juneau for fuel and fresh water which took place about midnight. The ship then continued south where it anchored in Holkham Bay. Holkham Bay is the entry point for both Tracy Arm and Endicott Arm both of which are long, narrow fjords ending in Tidal Glaciers. The plan was to visit both but Tracy Arm was inaccessible due to ice choking the fjord. Apparently North and South Sawyer Glaciers are calving more than normal and there are huge amounts of calves ice in the fjord. This condition is called a galloping glacier and seems to occur every decade or so. No one seemed to know why but we were told that the condition is not caused by global warming.
After breakfast we headed into the Endicott Arm. This is a very deep and beautiful fjord with steep walls and many waterfalls. After a little more than an hour we reached the Dawes Glacier. It is about 3/4 mile wide and 200' high. We saw some major calving on the way in but nothing when we were up close. We stayed at the foot of the glacier for about 30 minutes and then headed back out. The weather was mostly clear with light winds and the temperature was in the low 50s.
The next stop was Stevens Passage where we spend the afternoon looking for Humpback Whales. On the way we passed a small island where hundreds of Sea Lions were sunning themselves. As we approached the passage we could already see the spouting of the Humpback Whales. It was a banner day for whale watching. With no exaggeration I saw well over 100 whales. I saw several come completely out of the water but they were all too far away to get any kink of picture. I did see many come to the surface and the dive which exposed their tails. It was an amazing afternoon.
Tonight we will anchor just short of Petersburg and will have a fireworks display around midnight. I'm not sure I will make it.
ILYB
love your blogs and your travels Liz
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