From Clarence Strait, Grindall Island & Hump Island, 8/26/2021, National Geographic Sea Lion
Aboard the
National Geographic Sea Lion
Alaska
The Alaska weather today is briny and misty with a low-lying fog creeping across from Clarence Strait as the National Geographic Sea Lion dropped anchor off Grindall Island. Several bald eagles are surveying the local waters for a breakfast of salmon.
After our own tasty breakfast on the ship, the Zodiacs depart for our morning expeditions with half the guests shuttled to shore for an adventurous muskeg hike on Grindall Island, while the other half set off on Zodiacs to survey a colony of frolicking Steller sea lions.
All souls return to the ship before the lunch hour. The crew hauls anchor and the ship steams east for Hump Island and a tour of the Hump Island Oyster Farm, where we enjoy a tour of the family-run facility and taste the sweet, cultivated oysters.
Adam began sailing as a boy off of Port Townsend WA. He acquired his Master Mariners license at age 18 and began working as a yacht captain aboard Puget Sound charter yachts. After attending the University of Washington, Adam embarked on a single-han...
Nathan Kelley developed his love for nature as a kid at his family’s cabin in Northern Wisconsin. Family fishing trips, camping, hiking and a trip to his first National Park in the Everglades, all vigorously shaped his passion for the natural world. ...
Growing up in a military family, Mark Coger has been traveling most of his life. While living in Japan, he developed his passion for videography. He began his venture in the field of video production by filming numerous events for a local high scho...
Enter travel details to receive reports from a single expedition
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...
Send Daily Expedition Reports to friends and family
*By clicking the submit button, I authorize Lindblad Expeditions to email me; however, I am able to unsubscribe at any time. For more details, see our Privacy Policy.
Please note: All Daily Expedition Reports (DERs) are posted Monday-Friday,
during normal business hours. DERs are written onboard the ship only and do
not apply to land-based portions of expeditions.
This morning, we cruised through the infamous Fredrick Sound in search of wildlife. Guests joined our naturalists on the bow, and along with our amazing bridge team, we spotted roughly nine humpback whales, including one mother and calf pair! Once we got to our anchorage, a hike in the Tongass National Forest was planned. Guests were shuttled ashore and off into the forest they went. Cascade Creek is infamous for the bursting waterfall about 20 minutes up trail. Each hiker took time being quiet to listen to the forest and her songs, but not for too long because we are in bear country and we wanted to make sure our presence was known. Faces drenched with waterfall mist, our hikers returned to their home away from home, National Geographic Sea Lion . We closed the day by entering into Wrangell Narrows in the direction of Wrangell, our next stop. During dinner our guests were greeted by a small pod of killer whales off our starboard side, and from the dining room windows, a room full of guests watched as they surfaced a few times and then disappeared. What an absolutely magical day!
We started off the morning by making the way to our landing site within Williams Cove. Although it was a misty morning, the sun soon broke through the clouds, and it turned into another stunning day. After a forest morning hike, the Global Explorers had some driving practice! The young naturalists in training did a great job maneuvering Zodiacs through the Alaskan waters. Soon after, we had our polar plunge, where guests dunked themselves into the frigid ocean! Our day ended with visiting Tracy Arm fjord and traveling via Zodiac to South Sawyer Glacier. The fjord provided a beautiful, glacially carved landscape and gorgeous turquoise ocean water. The glacier itself was quite a sight and even had a few calving events!
If yesterday was a “Whale of a Day,” today was “Icing on the Cake.” Several of us participated in the traditional Polar Plunge — enthusiastically jumping into the icy waters of Sand Bay just after dawn (and before breakfast)! It was bracing by all accounts. After a hearty breakfast, we went ashore for hikes along a stream in Sand Bay, which was a totally different landscape from yesterday. As we walked along the stream at low tide, we saw hundreds of steelhead and a few pink salmon, cautiously making their way upstream to spawn. Many dead salmon were beached along the shore and in the shallow, calm water; some of their lives were over after spawning, while others were clearly the remains of bear meals. Mature and immature eagles were perched on towering Sitka spruce and flying overhead. We saw fresh bear, moose, and eagle tracks in the soft mud. Those who explored the vast and exposed intertidal found all sorts of interesting creatures, including nudibranchs and their egg masses. It was an absolutely perfect morning: calm and quiet conditions, cloudless sky, and pleasant temperatures. After returning to the ship, we sailed up Stephens Pass and into Endicott Arm in search of wildlife and the spectacular views of ice. After reaching Dawes Glacier by mid-afternoon, half the guests embarked on a Zodiac cruise among the “growlers” and “bergy bits” to the glacier. The other guests listened to a presentation from U.S. Fish and Wildlife Rangers about their role in monitoring vessel traffic and camping permits in the Endicott Arm area. The two groups later switched roles. The views were magnificent, and the weather remained perfect. We observed several harbor seals resting on the bergy bits and icebergs, and a single harbor porpoise that cruised through the area. Halfway up the towering fjord wall, a single mountain goat grazed nonchalantly. And of course a large glacier calving event occurred, to the delight of all. Following dinner, we enjoyed the traditional guest slide show and solidified new friendships, before preparing for tomorrow’s departure.