Inside passage of Alaska

Let's take a trip down the inner passage and Tracy Arm aboard our luxury cruise liner!

We can see the remnants of glaciers that have carved out the Valleys and rounded out the hills here

The water is turquoise

The contrasts between the rocks, the plants, the water and the sky are intense!

The air is crisp and clean and the hills peaceful and still and we slowly slip down the channel.

You can see the peaks and valleys carved out by long gone glaciers

There are tons of cascading waterfalls down the sloped hills

What a sight

 

Tracy Arm Fjord is  a narrow 26-mile-long fjord

Around every corner and every bend, just a little more breath taking.... is that possible

Ok, take a real close look at the icebergs floating in the water. Although they appear very small, due to the size of the channel and the mountains, look very closely at the one on the left. Yes, that is a large boat in front of it!

Here is our yacht again in front of another incredibly long ice berg. Remember, only 10% is above the water, the rest is below the surface!!!

Here is an eagles nest on the little island in front of the Twin Sawyer glaciers.

Remains of the glacier field  coming over the tips of the mountains.

Snow and Ice capped mountains dot the landscape, with twisting valleys and cascading waterfalls  cutting through lush greenery while ice bergs are strewn half hazardously across the water.

Again, more vertical rock cliffs laced with waterfalls

 

Tracy Arm is a deep fjord, with  depths of 1,242 feet. The channel is less than a mile wide and was carved centuries ago by advancing glaciers

Again, another small yacht cruising down the channel for guided tours. This one had people get off and go rafting closer to the ice bergs and waterfalls. Notice the ice fields in the upper part of the valleys.

What a way to enjoy a sunny morning.

Sheltered waters wind through the  7,000-foot colorful mountain peaks

Yes, the water was that pretty! It appears that at various times, the levels raise significantly!

Here is the first of the Twin Sawyer tidewater glaciers-

A closer look at it! The North Sawyer glacier is melting back about 85 feet per year.  The South Sawyer is retreating over 300 feet annually, more on this glacier on the next page....

Look close at some of the ice bergs, you will see the boat and rafters. . . .

Look at how perfect nature carved out those mounds!

It would be a steep climb up the sides of these mountains!

I called this my turtle rock, it looked like his head was sticking out from his large shell!

I loved to look at the different shapes the glaciers made. Here it appears as if two hands are reaching towards each other!

Imagine, if this is only 10% how humongous in size this really is!