Kim is a marine biologist, adventure photographer, and full-time nomad. Not a fan of having her feet solidly on the ground, she spends most of the year diving, paragliding, skiing, hiking, kayaking, and working on ships. She made it to all seven cont...
As the sun rose on the third day of this expedition aboard National Geographic Sea Lion , we pulled into the harbor of the charming town of Haines, Alaska. Today’s itinerary let our guests “choose their own adventure,” with several different excursions as possible activities to choose from in both the morning and afternoon. Ranging from rafting in the receding tide in the Chilkat River to soaring through the clouds in a sight-seeing plane above Glacier National Park, we had a thrilling day of adventures that concluded with an appetizing dinner back onboard. We ended the night excited to continue our adventures tomorrow, exploring the untouched wilderness of the Inian Islands.
Global Explorers of all ages contributed to our Daily Expedition Report in the form of haikus and other abbreviations of poetry. It was a diverse day of activities in the town of Wrangell, from a hike up Mount Dewey, to a jet boat excursion up the Stikine River, to a walk on the beach to view ancient petroglyphs, to a mosey through a bog, to a cultural visit at the Chief Shake House. The diversity of Alaska continues to amaze. Rock Bears Granite bears stay still. Keep looking for rocks that walk, Lumbering on shore. Authors: Babs Gerber and Leo and Molly Navetta Cold wet drippy ice It melts outside of my room It is from glaciers Author: Walker Mims, age 12 Lindblad Alaska The Lindblad Sea Bird Beauty everywhere we look Life is excellent Author: John Carlson Jetboat whizzing through Alaskan sloughs Blue skies, glaciers and waterfalls flowing too Bald eagles, Zodiac boats Lindblad Expeditions Author: Karen Russell The lush green mountains Covered with powdered sugar… What is for dessert? Author: Bobbie
Low-lying clouds shrouded the mountains around Tracy Arm as National Geographic Sea Lion cruised the winding glacially-carved fjord towards the glaciers that were creating the ice floating around us. The day started off with wildlife sightings of a humpback whale diving in the ice and North American bald eagles perched on ice. The Tracy Arm Fords Terror Wilderness Area encompasses both Endicott Arm and Tracy Arm. Endicott Arm ends in a tidewater glacier, and Tracy Arm ends in two tidewater glaciers–Sawyer Glacier and South Sawyer Glacier. The vessel made its way to Sawyer Glacier in the morning, where we set out in kayaks to enjoy the ice and waterfalls of the area. Over lunch, we passed by Sawyer Island, which had not yet been carved and revealed by the ice of the glacier when John Muir explored the area. In the afternoon, we set out in zodiacs to make our way towards the spectacular South Sawyer Glacier. Most of the larger pieces of ice that we passed by were host to harbor seals, either laying alone on the ice or mothers with pups. The harbor seal pups lounging on the ice have all been born within the last few weeks and will gain around 40 pounds by the time they part ways with their mothers because of their rich diet. We navigated the Zodiacs closer to South Sawyer Glacier and took some time to enjoy the scenery. As the glacier calved, we watched as the swell moved the ice and seals around the fjord. Just as the last Zodiac was turning back towards the ship, from the ocean emerged a towering piece of ice larger than the vessel. In contrast to the thunderous and disruptive display that were the calvings we had seen, this large iceberg had broken off from underneath the glacier and surfaced slowly and gracefully. What a fantastic way to end the day. Photo caption and photographer: Waterfall near Sawyer Glacier. Photo by Andy Putnam
