Misty Fjords

Outside of Ketchikan, in the extreme south of the Alaskan pan handle, is Misty Fjords National Monument. President Carter established the monument, designating all but about 150K acres of the 2M total acreage as wilderness. The eastern area of the Monument is a matrix of Fjords among spruce and red cedar rain forests. Fog and a mist-like rain comprise the typical weather. The day we took a boat tour was unusual in that the sun was shining, showing off the vibrant colors of the deep water canals, rock walls, forest cover and sky.

The fjords were shaped by glaciers millions of years ago; Huge bowls cut out of the base rock and horizontal marks on rock faces produced by sliding glacier are evident.

The following photo shows the full length of one of two high water falls and the bottom of the second. The falls come off of two adjacent slops that are 90 degree from one another and meet the waterline within a few hundred feet of each other, in an area where the green color of the surrounding trees is reflected in the water. (Photos taken with a Cannon AE-1)