After raising our anchor, National Geographic Venture moved to our new anchorage in the Inian Islands. Looking for wildlife and a morning of adventure, we enjoyed two rounds of Zodiac cruising in this magical group of small islands. We had incredible encounters with Steller sea lions and sea otters! During lunch, National Geographic Venture repositioned to Port Althorp for a variety of walks across a large tidal meadow to a very active salmon stream, where two species of salmon captured our attention as they struggled upstream toward their spawning beds! We enjoyed lots of signs of brown bears and one bear sighting made for a very exciting afternoon of hikes!
5/29/2023
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National Geographic Venture
Glacier Bay National Park
Glacier Bay National Park is the ancestral homeland of the Huna Tlingit clans. Covering over three million acres of land, this striking environment lends itself well to discussions about primary succession, a characteristic of temperate rainforests and glaciation. National Geographic Venture started its day with hikes and photography instruction around Bartlett Cove. The ship’s naturalists discussed various aspects of primary succession and temperate rainforests while finding baneberry, fiddleheads, and morel mushrooms. The hikes ended with observing the preserved skeleton of a whale named Snow, a humpback whale killed by a ship strike in 2001. Once all crew and guests were on board, the ship ventured farther into Glacier Bay National Park. Along the way, we observed incredible sightings of humpback whales, Steller sea lions, sea otters, tufted puffins, bald eagles, and a variety of other animals. Farther north, we passed by Gloomy Knob where guests and staff spotted mountain goats whose white fur contrasted well with the dark rocky habitat. Finally, guests and staff celebrated the end of another magical day in Southeast Alaska with cocktail hour while viewing Margerie Glacier calving. The incredible landscape of Southeast Alaska, and particularly Glacier Bay, is an awe-inspiring world that lends itself to exploration and conservation.
