The morning’s wake-up call was “Welcome to Glacier Bay National Park. Honestly, it’s somewhere out there in the fog.” We woke to thick fog and zero visibility that quickly turned into a perfect day in the park. A national park ranger and Tlingit cultural interpreter joined us in Bartlett Cove, and we traveled together to Margerie Glacier. Along the way, we encountered some of the usual characters—sea otters, sea lions, humpback whales, mountain goats, and a grizzly bear along the way. The weather was beautiful and the Fairweather Range—including Mt. Fairweather herself—was clear. On our way south, we were treated to the very rare experience of watching a pod of four transient killer whales kill two sea lions in front of the ship. Later we disembarked in Bartlett Cove and the photo team set up a light-painting tutorial on a humpback whale skeleton. In the evening, the aurora borealis lit up the skies as our shutters clicked. You could not script a better day in Glacier Bay.
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.
