Endicott Arm & Williams Cove
Early this morning the National Geographic Sea Lion crossed the entrance to Endicott Arm, and by the time that most of us were awake, we were about half-way to the end and seeing our first pieces of ice floating in the water. This was a sign, because our goal for the morning was to reach the far end and to explore in the zodiacs.
The main reason that this particular spot was chosen is the magnificent Dawes Glacier that fills the end and had created this long and deep fjord that we were traversing, and those pesky little pieces of ice. As we got closer to the face of the glacier there were more and more pieces of ice in our path, and the ship had to maneuver its way through the endless chunks. Finally, the National Geographic Sea Lion slowed, and the zodiacs were lowered, and soon we were motoring toward the huge towering face of the Dawes.
Of course, the glacier was not the only thing of interest on the cruise. There were a number of different bird sightings, and a host of little Harbor seals in the water and on the floating pieces of ice. Most of these seals are females with their young pups. The floating ice is a perfect platform for these moms to haul out of the water, give birth and nurse the pups.
Our final goal was to hopefully get to see a large calving of ice from the glacier face, so we patiently waited in our boats about a quarter mile from its face. Our persistence paid off, and we were finally rewarded with several large pieces splitting off and crashing with great thunder into the water below!
Finally, it was time to return to the National Geographic Sea Lion and start our return trip toward the fjord entrance and our next activity this afternoon. Along the way Betty Lu taught us about the interactions between the large population of salmon and bears, and how they connect to the forest. Right after lunch, Gretchen showed some of the incredible artwork of the Alaskan natives and explained how it was a huge part of their rituals and culture.
Just after Gretchen’s talk ended we arrived at Williams Cove, our final stop of the week, and where we would have the last hikes and kayaking. While most of the adults were enjoying those activities one last time, many of our younger guests got to learn about driving zodiacs, and took turns piloting these special little boats. A great ending to a wonderful trip!
It then was time to wind things up and start heading to our final port of call, Juneau, for our disembarkation tomorrow morning.
