Alaska’s Baby Islands & Dutch Harbor, 7/25/2019, National Geographic Orion
Aboard the
National Geographic Orion
Arctic
Dawn found National Geographic Orion nearing the Baby Islands: a small archipelago of, yes, small islands near Unalga Island in the Fox Islands group of the Aleutian Islands. These low, rocky islands are the nesting sites of thousands of seabirds such as tufted puffins and whiskered auklets. The range of whiskered auklets’ range in North America is limited to only about ten islands on the Aleutian Chain and we were lucky to see small flocks of them flying and on the water here. On Zodiac excursions here were surrounded by tufted puffins—thousands of them.
This afternoon we docked at Dutch Harbor, the busiest fishing port in the United States. Here we hiked up mountains, toured this interesting and historic town, and took a nature hike along a spit where we saw many beautiful flowers and birds that were new sightings to some of us.
Geologist and naturalist Grace grew up among woods, rivers, and mountains, loving the outdoors, nature and rocks. After high school she became a Registered Nurse and was soon studying midwifery at Queen Charlotte’s Maternity Hospital in London, Engla...
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Expedition trips like this often seem to me to be a series of vignettes—of images that are only loosely connected. We hop from place to place in a region, along a course line, but the stops we make are sometimes so varied and so different from each other that they seem like photographs that got dropped into a drawer and mixed up, so that they come out in random order. Today felt particularly like that, largely due to the fog. We woke and looked out our windows to see…nothing. It was as though someone had hung light gray sheets over all the glass. Nevertheless, the scout boat went ashore, and in due time we navigating the Zodiacs through a narrow entrance into a lagoon and landing at the edge of (what we assumed was) a vast expanse of tundra. We set out on various walks, and the swirling fog revealed various images. Colorful tundra…a rushing river…gorgeous hills rising all around…magnificently ripe berries…sandhill cranes flapping along in their prehistoric way. But one image that will be forever graven on the memories of all those who got there was the Gil’mimyl Hot Springs. There was no sign for the place, and no trail to get there. There was just hot water pouring out of a hillside just above the river, a sort of a box dug out of the ground next to it with a bit of decking around it, a plank bench supported by two whale vertebrae, and some very shaky stairs down to the river. But the water was deliciously hot in the pool, and bracingly cold in the river, and the whole experience was wildly fun. The steam from the hot tub rose to mingle with the mist above our heads. Back on the ship the fog closed us in—the sheets came down over the windows—foiling our plans for whale watching. But later in the afternoon we sailed out of the fogbank and into clear, calm weather, and glorious views of the Chukotka coastline—our final vignette for the day. Tomorrow will bring another series of images and experiences, and I for one will try to be open to all of them.
Heavy fog accompanied National Geographic Orion in the harbor in the city of Provideniya, Chukotka today. With a population of just under 2,000 inhabitants, this former town was once a bustling farming and leather tanning location. Just a few years ago there were almost 10,000 people living between both sides of Provideniya Harbor. The changes in government brought huge changes here, and there are signs of the slow demise of the physical buildings all around. The spirit of the people that live here, however, is as vibrant and strong as it perhaps ever was! With open arms and hearts, we were greeted at the harbor and each of us was shown the parts of town we set our sights on. Personal highlights for me included an amazing natural history museum with truly dazzling displays of natural and cultural history. There was even a four-tusked walrus skull on display, perhaps one of the very few to be found in the Arctic! Traditional local people in full regalia as well as Russian dancers performing more European style dances capped off our day with performances. Along with scrumptious local cuisine, the afternoon offered many opportunities to truly experience this part of Chukotka! Spaceba!
It was hard to believe that National Geographic Orion crossed the Bering Strait today as we re-entered US waters and said goodbye to Russian waters. We woke to calm seas, so flat it barely felt as though we were underway and not a typical day for this body of water that has long separated Russia from Alaska. As early as the mid-1500s geographers believed a body of water separated Asia from North America. Semyon Dezhnyov is thought to be the first explorer to cross the Bering Strait in 1648, but Danish born Russian explorer Vitus Bering was the first to cross and submit an official report to Europe almost 100 years later and whom the waterway is named for. During the Cold War, the Bering Strait marked the boundary between the Soviet Union and the United States and was known as the “Ice Curtain.” Indigenous peoples were prevented from transiting between the two nearby continents for seasonal trade and celebrations and there was no commercial air or ship traffic allowed. Back on July 30, we sailed across the International Date Line in route to Russia and in the early morning hours today we passed over it once again. This means that we enjoyed a second August 10th on board and took advantage of our relaxing day at sea. In the morning Naturalist Grace Winer presented “Nome: Gold Rush on the Bering Sea” and fellow guest Dave Weeshoff shared stories and insight on his time spent volunteering with International Bird Rescue. Our day was filled with the exchange of images captured throughout our three weeks together; guests submitted photos to share with shipmates as well as in the photo slideshow. In the afternoon the staff and guests played a game of curiosity called “You Don’t Know Your Expedition Staff,” where guests guessed which staff member held which secret true to themselves. It was a laughter-filled event, as the staff did not even know one another’s secrets! Late in the afternoon, the rain subsided and the fog lifted, allowing us to enjoy one last sunny afternoon across the Bering Strait.
