A picture is worth a thousand words, but it would still fall short to describe the amazing moments we shared today on our first day of the expedition. Humpback whales performing cooperative humpback feeding, a pod of killer whales surrounding the ship on their way North, and then exploring remote bear trails in the pristine wilderness of Southeast Alaska – there is no better reason to travel here than to simply immerse yourself in this profound natural beauty.
8/1/2019
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National Geographic Venture
Baranof Island
After exploring the glaciers and open waters of the northern Inside Passage, we sailed south through the night and returned to the starting point of our journey, Baranof Island. This island, along with Admiralty to the east and Chichagof to the north, is home to one of the highest densities of brown bears in the world. To search for evidence of the bears as they begin their yearly salmon feast and continue our exploration of the temperate rainforest, we anchored in Kelp Bay to kayak and hike the shoreline throughout the morning. Later in the afternoon, we welcomed Dr. Andy Szabo of the Alaska Whale Foundation to learn more about ongoing research taking place in Alaska on the unique bubblenet feeding behavior we witnessed earlier in the trip. Only in Alaska can you experience the forest, salmon, bears, and whales all in one day.
