As the sun rose on the third day of this expedition aboard National Geographic Sea Lion, we pulled into the harbor of the charming town of Haines, Alaska. Today’s itinerary let our guests “choose their own adventure,” with several different excursions as possible activities to choose from in both the morning and afternoon. Ranging from rafting in the receding tide in the Chilkat River to soaring through the clouds in a sight-seeing plane above Glacier National Park, we had a thrilling day of adventures that concluded with an appetizing dinner back onboard. We ended the night excited to continue our adventures tomorrow, exploring the untouched wilderness of the Inian Islands.
5/7/2025
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National Geographic Sea Lion
Inian Islands, Port Althorp
The Inian Islands invoke sheer joy and excitement among the naturalists, which in turn, is transferred to the guests. We set out in Zodiacs, traversing in nearly unprecedented calm conditions through the narrow Mosquito Pass, then around North Inian Island. We observed over a dozen bald eagles and sea lions waiting for the inrushing tide to bring fish to the surface for easy pickings. We also saw a couple of male sea otters peacefully lying on the surface while fluffing up their fur to introduce air for insulation (they don’t have blubber). The weather was classic Alaska…sun grading to rain…then to partly cloudy. In the afternoon, we traveled to Port Althorp for kayaking and hikes. Again, very calm conditions with intermittent sun and rain. The hikes were beautiful, winding across the mud flats and into the thick rainforest painted with several shades of green. Bear trails were observed and used by us as convenient paths to follow. Kayakers slowly paddled across glassy water to enjoy the peace and solitude. The day ended with soft sun.
