Today up at 5:30 and down to the lounge to make coffee. Flip Nicklin, the NatGeo photographer is the only one there - up and working on his laptop, editing photos from yesterday. Back up to the bow to appreciate our entry into Tracy Arm Fjord
. Fog hangs in layers and obscures the upper levels of this deep canyon. Ice is dotting the water in in all shapes, sizes and colors. Pure white, ranging into deep blue of the densest ice
. The water becomes the aqua blue green as we near South Sawyer Glacier. For a time I am the only one up on deck and soon others slowly arrive, cameras in hand. Just photographing the ice floes could keep us busy all day – there is that much variety of shape, color and lighting. Deeper into the twisting canyon Flip chuckles because he knows the captain has maneuvered to make the most dramatic sighting of the glacier around the last turn. I take video of the approach and Flip is humming the National Geographic theme behind me as the glacier comes into view. Wow.
After breakfast, zodiacs take us closer to the glacier in the other side canyon – Sawyer Glacier – for some reason, NOT North Sawyer Glacier. Lots of ice in the water and waterfalls cascade from the cliffs above. We get close enough to appreciate the power of the ice as the glacier calves off huge sections of ice, falling with thunderous booms. Close enough is still far out of harms way, but Gretchen, our zodiac driver, moves clear of the bigger patches of ice chunks, so they don't bang into us as the swell bobs the zodiacs. Exciting stuff.
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