Tracy Arm

Having passed into the Alaskan Time Zone with at least half my mind and body back in the UK still, it was inevitable that we would get up early. But of all the days to do so this was it, arriving at dawn at Tracy Arm an area not reached from outside by road. I hoped to see both wildlife and ice and first observed the brooding scenery in the lowest of light.

Some small flaws have begun to appear in the Holland America service. There have been substantial inconsistencies in their advice on documentation to be taken on and off the ship and publicity for the clock change was very low key leading, I am sure, to confusion for some. However, our laundry was returned in only a short time and beautifully presented.

It was cold and wet but for the most part the oppressive weather accentuated the grandeur of our surroundings. The first and most striking phenomenon was the blue ice. I thought it might have been dyed to aid visibility to the few ships in the passage but, it turns out, the colour is caused by the density of glacial ice.

Secondly one cannot fail to notice the countless cataracts and their endless variety. They are otherwise noticeable for the fact that they produce the only sound other than the modest disturbance of the ship underway. We were told that these are by no means permanent but were a lucky side effect of the days rain.

The glaciers we saw were distant but extraordinary for their size. Even from a distance they appeared to live, to subtly threaten all below. And yet the irony is these icy monsters are more likely retreating than descending.

For all the awe this is not somewhere I would want to be outside the comfort of a ship or plane. I am not a wilderness person and have no survival instinct. I am very happy for such places to exist as the lungs of our struggling planet but I do not want to be there as an alternative to the comforts of urban surroundings. How I am at some time in the future to explore the heritage of Genghis Khan unless they have gers with showers, I do not know.