After traveling north overnight through Lynn Canal, we dropped anchor at 6:30 a.m. outside the town of Haines. Large rays of sunlight slipped through the clouds above and a brisk wind picked up on the water as we began shuttles to shore for the morning’s activities. Our day in Haines was a choose-your-own-adventure day, so guests went a variety of separate ways — some off to climb local peak Mount Riley, others off to the Klukwan Village for a cultural tour and river float, and some off to the Chilkat River to fly fish or bike ride along the road. In the afternoon, more hikes and bikes and fishing filled our hours, including excellent sightings along the Chilkat of local brown bear Lulu and her two cubs fishing for salmon. We had time to explore the charming town of Haines, which has a population of just under 2,000 residents. Some popular town stops included local distillery Port Chilkoot, the Hammer Museum, and the Haines Brewing Company to try the local spruce tip ale. Back on board National Geographic Sea Bird, we gathered in the lounge and swapped stories from our day, grateful that the rain held off and we enjoyed such varied and wonderful adventures.
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.