George Island/Inian Islands, 5/30/2024, National Geographic Quest
Aboard the
National Geographic Quest
Alaska
Today was a huge highlight of our trip in Southeast Alaska. We started off at George Island, taking in the beautiful forest and World War II history of the site and ended our morning with a polar plunge!
This afternoon we took our Zodiacs to the Inian Islands where we had a rare, jaw dropping view of the Fairweather Range. The icing on the cake was when we had a humpback mom and calf pair breaching with the beautiful mountains in the background.
Kylee Walterman grew up in central California where she was in close proximity to the ocean, mountains, deserts, valleys, and national forests; this is where she found a passion for the natural world. She attained a Marine Science degree with a biolo...
We had an outstanding day in Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve. We woke up next to Margerie, a tidewater glacier that calved off a huge chuck of ice right before we headed into breakfast. We cruised to Gloomy Knob, stopping to watch mountain goats, before heading to South Marble Island. We were surprised when a group of three humpbacks popped up right between us and the island; we didn’t know whether to watch them, the flying puffins, or the noisy Steller sea lions.
We started the morning in Salt Chuck Bay under beautiful, partly sunny skies. We had perfect conditions for our first kayaking adventure. The sandy beach at low tide allowed kayakers an easy entrance into the serene and quiet world of paddling. While some guests paddled away, the rest of the group explored the intertidal zone and took a quick walk in the forest. The afternoon weather held, and we enjoyed one of the expedition team’s favorite activities: exploring the Inian Islands by Zodiac. Steller sea lions argued and growled on the rocks, birds flew overhead, and sea otters roiled in the currents. It all made for a perfect afternoon.
We were met today with ideal Alaskan weather: crisp, clear, and calm. We enjoyed perfect conditions for hiking through the forests and alluvial meadow of Ushk Bay. We split into groups depending on hiking desires and set off into the wilderness. We hiked on game trails through forests of western hemlock and Sitka spruce, crossed shallow streams, gazed at spring wildflowers, and investigated intertidal organisms. It was a lovely morning of stretching our legs and exploring the temperate rainforest. In the afternoon, we cruised along the gorgeous fjords of Peril Strait and Chatham Strait, where we searched for wildlife. We were delighted to find a humpback whale that was repeatedly diving and coming up to the surface to lunge feed. It was rolling and slapping its pectoral fins and putting on quite a display of behaviors that were a joy to watch. It was a wonderful first day of expeditions aboard National Geographic Quest .
