First thing in the morning, there is fog, which wipes the slate clean in readiness for impressions. The sun’s brightness burns through the fog for our first sight of blue sky and verdant green. We are surrounded by soaring mountains. There is ice on the horizon. Swirling waters at the terminal moraine hint at a change in scenery. Soon we are in the world of a glacial fjord. Vertical walls of rock and rounded crests. A black bear browsing an intertidal smorgasbord. Harbor seals, a mother and pup, in repose. Sounds of the glacier calving, an iceberg is born.
- Daily Expedition Reports
- 27 Jun 2021
Tracy Arm and South Sawyer Glacier, 6/27/2021, National Geographic Quest
- Aboard the National Geographic Quest
- Alaska
Daniel Baldwin, Naturalist
An educator at heart, Dan finds great joy in helping others explore and connect with the world around them. He has taught marine sciences in the Florida Keys and on Catalina Island, science and math in international schools in Mexico, Costa Rica, and ...
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National Geographic Quest
Glacier Bay National Park
We awoke to a wall of ice towering outside of the ship. Sometime in the night we anchored alongside the monumental Johns Hopkins Glacier. Along the base of the glacier, hundreds of harbor seals lounged on the rafts of ice, and stunning mountain views accompanied the impressive natural feature for which the park was named. After eating breakfast with a glacial blue backdrop, we pulled anchor and began our exploration of the park in earnest. We visited several more glaciers, including prime examples of tidewater, hanging, and beached varieties; we also observed large numbers of sea otters and surf scoters. After lunch we turned our focus to wildlife and were rewarded with views of mountain goats on Gloomy Knob, as well as a brown bear excavating a comfortable resting spot on the beach. Later we were treated to a surprise concert by one of our guests (award winning musician Jim Peterick). We wrapped up the day with a visit to South Marble Island where dozens of tufted puffins and large rafts of Steller sea lions gave excellent views.
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National Geographic Quest
Inian Islands and Salt Chuck Bay
Today we began our adventures by dropping anchor at one of our favorite locations in Southeast Alaska, the Inian Islands! We disembarked National Geographic Quest to hop into our Zodiacs to explore this wild archipelago. Later in the day we repositioned to an anchorage in Port Althorp, known as Salt Chuck Bay. We got the chance to explore by kayaking as well as hiking through the meadow in the bay and the lush rainforest. It was a fantastic day in Southeast Alaska!