George Island & the Inian Islands, 6/1/2022, National Geographic Quest
Aboard the
National Geographic Quest
Alaska
As we sailed toward our island destinations this morning, calm water and an incredibly clear blue sky allowed us to see marine wildlife and the Fairweather range in the distance. Everyone chose their pace and followed their interests on a variety of hikes and exploratory walks on George Island. After hiking, a large number of people thought that it was great fun to run into the ocean from the pebbled beach.
After lunch, two rounds of Zodiac cruising allowed everyone to explore the Inian Islands. It was a great opportunity to see this area that has incredible upwelling and nutrients from all of the glacial activity in the area. People were thrilled to see, hear, and smell the Steller sea lions, sea otters, and eagles.
I like to remind people that there are very few big surprises left in life, but if you are out in nature, with an open mind and a lot of time, you never know what you will find.
The bridge team of National Geographic Venture anchored the vessel in a bay protected from the winds and waves of the open ocean. The waters near the Inian Islands are known for heavy currents and extreme waves. The Inian Islands are located in the heart of Cross Sound, one of two entryways for the waters of the Pacific Ocean. Two tides coming in and out each day cause an enormous volume of water to pass through this area, which in turn brings cold, nutrient-rich water up towards the surface. These nutrients stimulate growth and lay the foundation for a robust food web. All sorts of animals come to this location to enjoy the spoils – including killer whales. Our guests were invited aboard Zodiacs this morning to explore the diverse, wild habitats. Fox Creek proved incredibly enjoyable as an afternoon activity. We spent time hiking through a beach meadow with grasses as tall as an adult human. This area was full of bear trails that led each group to a different spot: beach meadow, intertidal, forest floor, streambed, and even to a waterfall. We bushwhacked through the bear trails and found many interesting sights, including perennial bear tracks. These tracks persist year after year as bears make their way to the intertidal zones from their wintering dens. A truly magnificent journey led each of us to a special place just for us. Somewhere we could enjoy true wild Alaska. We are thankful for this day.
The sun barely sets right now in Southeast Alaska, and quite a few people were on the bow of National Geographic Quest before 6:00 a.m. It is often said, the vigilant on the bow are rewarded, and before breakfast this morning, we saw a brown bear, a couple Sitka black tail deer, Dall’s porpoises, and humpback whales. After breakfast, we had several briefings, but we were interrupted by a group of humpback whales near the shore. In the afternoon, everyone had the opportunity to set foot in the Tongass National Rainforest for the first time. Guests went kayaking, and a few enjoyed a beach walk. It was a pretty amazing first day for our expedition.
Today we woke to a beautiful, sunny day with gorgeous views of the snow-capped mountains flanking Tarr Inlet in Glacier Bay National Park. While enjoying a hot cup of coffee on the bow of National Geographic Quest , several Alaskan brown bears soon appeared off the portside by the rocky shoreline, including a mother bear with two cubs, as well as two huge male brown bears. At one point, the mother bear started running along the shoreline with her cubs for quite a distance, probably to keep the cubs safe from the large male bears. We enjoyed incredible views of brown bear behavior for over 30 minutes. Then, moving on to the end of Tarr Inlet, the Captain positioned the bow of National Geographic Quest facing Margerie Glacier, a tidewater glacier that calves into Tarr Inlet. We quietly listened to distant cracks and booms coming from inside the glacier as it slowly creeps towards its terminus, and a few blocks of ice calved off the left side of the terminus into the inlet. We had the privilege of having a Native Huna Tlingit woman come aboard to explain their culture, lifestyle, and spiritual connections to the land. It was a magical and emotional moment to quietly watch the morning unfold with Margerie Glacier spread across the bow of our vessel, while we listened to the soft beat of her hand-made drum and her songs to the earth, as she danced in her native robe with guests. Off the starboard side to the north, we saw morainal debris from the Grand Pacific and Ferris Glaciers at the end of Tarr Inlet, with glacial ice glistening in the distance. It was hard to leave the bears, ice, and spiritual inspiration of the northwest end of Tarr Inlet behind, but we eventually headed southward to the entrance of Johns Hopkins Inlet and the tidewater terminus of the spectacular Lamplugh Glacier where everyone enjoyed a delicious lunch and more incredible views of the power of glaciers. Following lunch, the ship continued southward down Glacier Bay past Queen Inlet to the Marble Islands and eventually Bartlett Cove, headquarters of Glacier Bay National Park (where the southern extent of the ice reached when George Vancouver sailed into Icy Strait in 1780). Along the way, we enjoyed a spectacular sunny afternoon with sightings of mountain goats, sea otters, sea lions, whale spouts, lots of tufted puffins, and two large black bears slowly ambling along the shoreline. The ship’s Captain once again positioned the ship so guests could view the bears and take photographs. We finished the day with cocktails, recaps of the day’s adventures, and short hikes at Bartlett Cove prior to another delicious dinner aboard ship. This was a day that everyone will remember forever!
