This morning, National Geographic Sea Lion anchored at Cascade Creek, a stunning destination for hikes in the temperate rainforest of Southeast Alaska. From the smallest of lichens and mosses to the tallest western hemlock trees and Sitka spruces, our guests learned from our naturalists as they hiked along Cascade Creek. In the afternoon, we explored Scenery Cove on Zodiacs, getting familiar with the rocky coast. In the evening, we spent time looking for marine mammals from the bow of the ship. It was another amazing day in Southeast Alaska.
5/29/2025
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National Geographic Sea Bird
Endicott Arm
Dawes Glacier, located at the head of Endicott Arm in Southeast Alaska, is an active tidewater glacier in the remote Tracy Arm-Fords Terror Wilderness Area. Reaching the glacier requires a 30-mile journey through a narrow fjord lined with sheer rock walls rising over 3,000 feet. These cliffs are veined with waterfalls and often blanketed in mist. Throughout the fjord, remnants of the glacier float in the form of icebergs. The glacier feeds cold, silty meltwater into the fjord, giving the water a distinctive milky-green hue and supporting a rich marine food web. Harbor seals were hauled out on ice floes near the glacier. Gulls and Arctic terns were actively feeding, likely drawn by the small fish and plankton concentrated by the glacial outflow. The glacier calved several times, hurling large chunks of ice across the water’s surface, sending the birds fleeing. The sound of the ice hitting the water echoed off the steep rock walls that rise thousands of feet on either side.
