July 23. Best. Birthday. Ever.
We explored Tracy Arm Fjord All Day Long! It was awesome. We awoke in the morning already well into the fjord and didn’t cruise out till after sunset. Tracy Arm Fjord is at the heart of the Tracy Arm-Fords Terror Wilderness and home to twin Sawyer Glaciers. We cruised the length of this glacially-carved, jade-green fjord, tracing granite cliffs rising 4,000 feet above sea level, and filled with waterfalls (cascades), harbor seals, Arctic tern, and mountain goats.
As we breakfasted, we approached South Sawyer Glacier. Arriving after breakfast, we spent 3-4 hours there, just hanging out. We were in the first Demaree Inflatable Boat (dib) ride to get closer to the Glacier (0.7 mile vs 1.4 miles).
Heading to the Sawyer Glacier via dib 
One cool iceberg heading to the Sawyer Glacier via dib 
Approaching Sawyer Glacier 
Harbor Seal at Sawyer Glacier 
Harbor Seal Pups at Sawyer Glacier 
At Sawyer Glacier, before returning to the Admiralty Dream 
Returning to the Admiralty Dream 
Returning to the Admiralty Dream…see it on the water line? 
Holding ice from Sawyer Glacier
After lunch, we stopped again for some of us (8 of 38, including both of us) to do a polar plunge off the back of the boat. It was COLD! Note, Gail was closest to the ladder to climb back out! By the time we were out of our showers, we had stopped for a visit to Hole in the Wall Waterfall. It Rained for the first time in the afternoon, but it didn’t matter, as we were cruising between high cliffs and lots of waterfalls and jumping into 34o water.
After dinner (we both had bison medallions), everybody sang Gail Happy Birthday while the crew brought her a Baked Alaska. It had been made by Alisha (with Gail in pic), the head of the hotel staff. It’s the first one she’s made, first one I’ve eaten. It was very special.
For more pictures (later), see Adventure Album: Alaska!
1 Comment
Mary A. Vince · July 28, 2025 at 1:54 pm
Happy Birthday Gaile!