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TRAVEL - ALASKA 2003 

Alaska 2003

Note: All photographs on this page may be enlarged by clicking on them

TONGASS NATIONAL FOREST
Tracy Arm Fjords

Tongass National Forest - a temperate rainforest, is the largest in the United States, covering about 17 million acres along the coast of Southeastern Alaska. It may come as a surprise that there is actually a rainforest in this part of the Northern Hemisphere, but it turns out that the part of Alaska where Tongass is situated gets plenty of rain during the year. As the NRDC Biogems website says:
The Tongass National Forest hugs 500 miles of Alaska's spectacular southeastern coastline. A dramatic landscape of glacial fjords, volcanic mountains, misty rainforests, and giant conifers, the Tongass -- at 17 million acres the largest U.S. national forest -- contains rich salmon spawning grounds and prime grizzly bear habitat. It also boasts the world's densest population of bald eagles.

A peek at its beauty is available in this photograph (which I have borrowed from the Heritage Forests Campaign site that is fighting current attempts to allow logging here). Tongass has large tracts of old growth rainforest with conifers like Sitka spruce and western hemlock, to name the most common ones, along with deciduous varieties at lower elevations - like alders and willow.

Photo from Heritage Forests Campaign (NOT our camera!)

GLACIERS, ICEBERGS, FORESTS

We saw many glaciers during our ferry cruise in Tongass, as we headed to the Tracy Arm Fjords and specifically the Sawyer glaciers. Fjords, as the NPS website states, are "long, steep-sided, glacier-carved valleys that are now filled with ocean waters." Each glacier is blue in color (as opposed to white) because its structure is such that it tends to reflect blue light. Small and big chunks of ice are continually breaking off and falling into the ocean. The breaking of the ice is accompanied by a loud cracking sound and a thunderous splash. The ice chunks are often large enough that they set off a wave that propagates away from the glacier. 

The water is always flush with ice chunks and icebergs that have broken off from the glaciers. 

South Sawyer Glacier

	The small dark specks on the floating ice/icebergs are harbor seals that always seem to be found where the glacier meets the ocean
A large ice chunk breaking off from the South Sawyer glacier

North Sawyer Glacier

Floating Icebergs in the ocean (away from glaciers)

Forests and Waterfalls 

Of course forests and waterfalls are in abundance here. A couple of snapshots...