no stranger to landslides<\/a>. And while it’s long been known the fjord network in the Tracy Arm region has been susceptible, the slope that failed had not been identified as an active hazard before last summer’s collapse, said Gabriel Wolken, manager of the state\u2019s climate and ice hazards program.<\/p>\nScientists are working to understand not only what caused the slope to collapse but to understand what other hazards might exist in the fjord, he said. <\/p>\n
The area remains unstable, said Steven Sobieszczyk, a U.S. Geological Survey spokesperson. Steep landslide areas continue to change for years after an initial slide, he said by email. <\/p>\n
\u201cContinued rockfall and small-scale sliding from the exposed landslide scar are expected and could impact the water, potentially causing a future localized tsunami,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Major cruise companies, including Holland America, Carnival Cruise Line and Royal Caribbean said in response to inquiries from The Associated Press that they are replacing a Tracy Arm visit with Endicott Arm. MSC Cruises, Virgin Voyages and regional tour company Allen Marine also are doing Endicott and Dawes Glacier instead. Norwegian Cruise Line said it does not have voyages sailing by Tracy Arm. <\/p>\n
Endicott already has been a stop for some ships previously and an alternative when conditions in Tracy Arm, such as excess ice, have been unsafe.<\/p>\n
Vallier, who owns the Alaska Travel Desk, said he would have liked cruise companies to give travelers more advance notice about itinerary changes. <\/p>\n
After leaving Seattle, the first ships of the season are due April 21 in Ketchikan and in Juneau the following week.<\/p>\n
Seeing a glacier \u2014 particularly a dynamic, calving glacier \u2014 is a bucket-list item for many tourists, and that’s what has made Tracy Arm so popular, he said. While the Mendenhall Glacier in Juneau is a major attraction for the capital city and cruise port, many visitors view it from across a large lake, and it has diminished or entirely retreated from view from some hiking overlooks.<\/p>\n
Kimberly Lebeda of Wichita, Kansas, was excited when she booked tickets for a Tracy Arm excursion for her family last year. Lebeda, who researches areas she visits, said she was sold on the scenery. <\/p>\n
But the night before the stop, they were told that due to ice in Tracy Arm, they would go up Endicott instead. Her family and others who’d booked the excursion got off the ship and onto a smaller boat with glass windows, abundant seating and snacks. They saw seals on ice floes, waterfalls and \u201ca wall of ice\u201d calve from Dawes Glacier, she said.<\/p>\n
She called it \u201can amazing thing to witness.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWas it worth it? Yes, because I don\u2019t know if I’ll ever get to do that trip again,\u201d she said. \u201cAgain, I haven\u2019t ever been to Tracy Arm so I can\u2019t really compare. But to me, was it worth it and was it exciting? Absolutely.\u201d <\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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