The National Geographic Sea Bird arrived at the main dock in front of the Glacier Bay National Park lodge early on a crystal-clear spring day. Temperatures were quite cool but the skies were clear and we could see for miles! After the park service rangers and Tlingit interpreters boarded our vessel, we began our journey north up Tarr Inlet for a day exploring a small section of the national park’s 3.3 million acres. Throughout the day, Ranger Patrick and tribal member Joe Valle made several presentations, and also joined us on the bow as the Sea Bird cruised over a hundred miles round-trip within Tarr Inlet. We stopped at four tidewater glaciers, took a quick look at Tidal and Geikie Inlets, and spent time searching for wildlife on land. Along with mountain goats at Gloomy Knob, we also saw several brown bears and one very large black bear! We encountered several large rafts of sea otters, including mothers and babies, who continued to scoot out of the way as the Sea Bird maneuvered. After Recap and dinner, the Sea Bird positioned back to Bartlett Cove, and many of us enjoyed sunset walks. In the last light of day, we made our way through a newly formed coastal temperate rain forest, watching the sun set on the Fairweather Mountains on the west coast of Glacier Bay National Park.
5/7/2025
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National Geographic Sea Bird
Daajing Giids, Haida Gwaii, Hecate Strait
After an evening cruising from SG̱ang Gwaay, National Geographic Sea Bird made one last stop this morning in Daajing Giids to drop off our cultural interpreters, DeeDee Crosby and Grace Garvie. At dock, we had two unique opportunities. The first, our daily morning stretch class had the opportunity to meet on land, and second, we welcomed the incredible artisan, Aay Aay, aboard. We were familiar with Aay Aay, who we had met two days prior as an interpreter at the Haida Heritage Center. His specialty is a revival of traditional Haida weaving. During Aay Aay’s time on board, he shared with us his personal story about discovering and mastering his art with spruce root, cedar, and wool weaving. He taught us how to hand spin the warp threads that would be the beginnings of a wool piece. After an artistic morning, we embarked on our journey across Hecate Strait to reach our next destination along our expedition, Alaska. This evening, I write as we make our way into Dixon Entrance preparing to wake up to the scenery of the famed Misty Fjords in the morning.
