Please select your home edition
Edition
Maritimo M75

Airship | Ford's Terror, Pavlof Cove, Sitka Sound (and a TON of wildlife photos)

by Laura Domela 1 Aug 2022 08:55 PDT
Westward, anchored in Ford's Terror © Laura Domela

Recently, I was reading through John Muir's notes on his trips to SE Alaska in 1879, 1880, and 1889, and came across the part of his 1880 visit where they went up what is now called Endicott Arm, and into what is now called Ford's Terror. He didn't have to call it by name....I knew exactly where they were.

After we had sailed about three miles up this side fiord, we came to what seemed to be its head, for trees and rocks swept in a curve around from one side to the other without showing any opening, although the walls of the cañon were seen extending back indefinitely, one majestic brow beyond the other.

When we were tracing this curve, however, in a leisurely way, in search of a good landing, we were startled by Captain Tyeen shouting, "Skookum chuck! Skookum chuck!" (strong water, strong water), and found our canoe was being swept sideways by a powerful current, the roar of which we had mistaken for a waterfall. We barely escaped being carried over a rocky bar on the boiling flood, which, as we afterwards learned, would have been only a happy shove on our way. After we had made a landing a little distance back from the brow of the bar, we climbed the highest rock near the shore to seek a view of the channel beyond the inflowing tide rapids, to find out whether or no we could safely venture in. Up over rolling, mossy, bushy, burnished rock waves we scrambled for an hour or two, which resulted in a fair view of the deep-blue waters of the fiord stretching on and on along the feet of the most majestic Yosemite rocks we had yet seen. This determined our plan of shooting the rapids and exploring it to its farthest recesses. This novel interruption of the channel is a bar of exceedingly hard resisting granite, over which the great glacier that once occupied it swept, without degrading it to the general level, and over which tide-waters now rush in and out with the violence of a mountain torrent.

To read more please go to the original article.

Related Articles

Airship | Funter Bay to Flynn Cove
Lots of fishing boats out today, as well as a few Dall's porpoises who surfed our bow for a bit We leisured late this morning in Funter Bay and didn't leave until after 11am. Another gorgeous, sunny day! We watched the F1 race and then pulled our anchor and headed out into the mostly glassy Icy Strait toward Flynn Cove. Posted today at 6:21 am
Airship | Juneau to Funter Bay
We'll be buddy boating a bit over the next week or more with Dave on Turnagain We'll be buddy boating a bit over the next week or more with Dave on Turnagain, now joined by his brother Kyle. Posted on 28 Jul
Airship | Ford's Terror to Wood Spit
We slept in again this morning at Ford's Terror We slept in again this morning at Ford's Terror, and then Taylor made a super yum breakfast taco bar...scrambled eggs, hash browns, Jerry's double-smoked bacon, tomatillo cream sauce, etc.... Posted on 24 Jul
2025 Flotilla to Alaska Day 30
Explorer Basin to Red Bluff Bay So many more whales this morning, right off the bat as we exited Explorer Basin, outside of Tebenkof Bay. Posted on 28 Jun
2025 Flotilla to Alaska Day 22
We've been visiting Kasaan on our own (and once with a small flotilla) since 2015 We departed the docks in Ketchikan by 6am, hoping for a nice smooth cruise across Clarence Strait (which isn't always guaranteed). Posted on 20 Jun
2025 Flotilla to Alaska Day 15
We left Khutze Inlet this morning just before 6am for our 55nm cruise to Lowe Inlet We left Khutze Inlet this morning just before 6am for our 55nm cruise to Lowe Inlet. Conditions were pretty much like this the whole day...a little wind, occasional chop, some current with us and some current against us. Posted on 13 Jun
2025 Flotilla to Alaska Day 12
Shearwater to Rescue Bay Our plan this morning was to leave Shearwater between 8:30am-9am. We were hopeful that the fuel barge had come during the night...Shearwater was out of diesel when we arrived! Posted on 10 Jun
2025 Flotilla to Alaska Day 7
Small Inlet to Mound Island We had an elaborate plan all worked out for today, with several backup plans built in, and we scrapped all of it as soon as we got up to Chatham Point light, where the promised 25kt winds and 3ft moderate wind waves did not materialize at all. Posted on 5 Jun
2025 Flotilla to Alaska Day 3
Clam Bay to Comox: A gorgeous, calm morning so far! Our alarm went off just before 4:30am this morning...enough time to check the weather, get a few sips of coffee, and figure out if we were going to need to change the plan. Again. Posted on 1 Jun
2025 Flotilla to Alaska Day 2
We've already resorted to a Plan B. Day 2 and we've already resorted to a Plan B. Originally our plan this morning was to leave Ganges around 7:30am to make Dodd Narrows by noon, just prior to slack, and then continue on up to Tribune Bay on Hornby Island — a long day (67nm). Posted on 31 May
Maritimo M50Palm Beach Motor Yachts