Our day began quite early this morning aboard the National Geographic Sea Lion with an inspiring light display from the Northern Lights! This experience was only the beginning of what would be a wonderful day for exploring. Glacier Bay National Park was packed full of wildlife sightings and perfect weather. Countless sea otters passed our bow and South Marble Island was surrounded by puffins, nesting cormorants, lounging sea lions, and even a few killer whales! While the sunshine warmed our cheeks, blue skies provided the perfect backdrop for panoramic views of the Fairweather Range, while a brown bear walked the beach, mountain goats scaled steep cliffs, and Kittlitz’s Murrelets skipped across the sea. Now we know why Glacier Bay is such a special and wild place worth our admiration and protection.
8/1/2019
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National Geographic Venture
Baranof Island
After exploring the glaciers and open waters of the northern Inside Passage, we sailed south through the night and returned to the starting point of our journey, Baranof Island. This island, along with Admiralty to the east and Chichagof to the north, is home to one of the highest densities of brown bears in the world. To search for evidence of the bears as they begin their yearly salmon feast and continue our exploration of the temperate rainforest, we anchored in Kelp Bay to kayak and hike the shoreline throughout the morning. Later in the afternoon, we welcomed Dr. Andy Szabo of the Alaska Whale Foundation to learn more about ongoing research taking place in Alaska on the unique bubblenet feeding behavior we witnessed earlier in the trip. Only in Alaska can you experience the forest, salmon, bears, and whales all in one day.
