Southeast Alaska - Kelp Bay, 8/30/2021, National Geographic Quest
Aboard the
National Geographic Quest
Alaska
Today we crossed another item off the group bucket list: we had an amazing experience watching brown bears fish for salmon. Even on a voyage filled with wildlife, days like today are especially memorable.
Kim is a marine biologist, fine art photographer, and avid fisherman. Based in Juneau, Alaska, Lingít Aaní, she spends her time between the mountains and the ocean. She earned a Bachelor of Science in Biology and Cognitive Neuroscience from the Unive...
Born and raised on Vashon Island in Washington State, Taylor grew up exploring the forests behind his house and attending the island’s Pirate Camp during the summers. He considers himself lucky to have grown up in a place that allowed him to experien...
Today our guests had an outstanding, rain-free day in the quaint fishing town of Petersburg. A wide array of opportunities included: cultural hikes through the Tongass National Forest with local guides, a bike ride through downtown up to the airport, a harbor Zodiac cruise with Steller sea lions, and a muskeg hike to find the small carnivorous plants named sundews. We ended the day with our classic Alaskan Crab Feast while sailing west towards future adventures.
We started our first full day on board by visiting the Dawes Glacier by Zodiac. As we floated among the growlers and bergy bits, we experienced multiple calving events. We observed many harbor seals with cute, brand-new pups relaxing on the ice. While cruising in the afternoon, we came across a few humpback whales. One humpback hung out close to the ship, lunge feeding and solo bubble netting. Another whale had some fun breaching in the distance, and a third showed off by tail slapping. We ended the day with a great view of Five Finger Lighthouse and look forward to our day in Petersburg tomorrow.
Our final day here in Southeast Alaska was filled with steep fjords, awe-inspiring glaciers, fierce polar plungers, a number of humpbacks, and a beautiful sunset. As we spent the last day in Zodiacs, driving and adrift amongst the ice in front of Dawes Glacier, we were reminded of how tiny we are on this blue rock that abounds with natural beauty and ecological wonders. As the harbor seals swam by, we celebrated the journey with our shipmates, some partaking in a polar plunge. Then we turned off into the sunset surrounded by the sounds of humpback exhalations. Alaska has been a wonder, and we have been thoughtful visitors in a place fragile yet vast.
