Sept. 6 - This morning was one of the most beautiful and surreal I’ve experienced in many years. At about 6:00 am we were approaching Holkam Bay and the entrance to Tracy Arm. All through the night the fog horn was blowing so it was no surprise to wake and find visibility nil. On the bridge the Captain had little choice – both Tracy and Endicott Arms were socked in with low fog hanging heavy on the water. Curiously, you could see it was just low fog as every once in a while it would shift exposing brilliant blue sky and a clear view of the surrounding mountain peaks. As the sun was coming up a small portion of the bay cleared; the Captain decided rather than abort the morning we would pursue the patch of sunshine and see what it would bring. We slipped under the fog into the sunshine. It was glorious! Wispy fingers of fog edged the clearing; we were surrounded by towering mountains dusted with new snow. The water was like glass. It was so enchanting; we just sat there in awe. In the quiet, a pod of six humpbacks surfaced; then another two, followed by two more. As we were not moving they lolled about lazily; relaxed and completely not threatened. The low fogs on the horizon made it hard to tell where the water ended and the clouds began. When the whales headed out it looked like they were swimming up into the sky. It was amazing.

After a non-existent summer in which everyone complained about the weather, seeing this was such a gift; it makes me ready to sign up for yet another Alaska season!