Early in the morning National Geographic Venture sailed into Holkham Bay, and made a turn into the Endicott Arm in the Tracy Arm-Fords Terror Wilderness area. We sailed up and into Fords Terror, taking in the beautiful scenery and sheer cliff walls of this part of the fjord. A black bear was spotted near a waterfall and after eating a bit on the shore, it began to climb the seemingly impossible steep cliffs with ease. After lunch National Geographic Venture was positioned with a distant view of the Dawes Glacier, and everyone set out for a Zodiac tour through the ice that had calved off the face in the past few days. We saw harbor seals on the ice at a distance, and a few swimming in the water. The weather was ever changing, and there was some pelting rain, but everyone had a great time in the midst of all the stunning wilderness.
7/23/2024
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National Geographic Quest
Petersburg
This morning National Geographic Quest arrived at the small fishing town and bustling harbor of Petersburg. Petersburg is among the top 20 fishing ports in the United States and walking and biking around the community we could appreciate the charm of the amazing homes along the waterfront. After breakfast we divided into our different groups based on our activities and explored the town by bicycle, walking to a muskeg bog, climbing Petersburg Mountain, or enjoying cultural tours with some of the locals as guides. Every activity was fun and educational. It felt like we were the only tourists in town, and we really got a sense for small town Alaska. After lunch the rain set in and some of us decided to relax on board while others put on rain gear and enjoyed a Zodiac tour around the harbor, walks, or a bike ride around town. Returning to the ship, we had an incredible presentation by a local resident about Tlingit culture before our recap and amazing Dungeness crab dinner that followed. It was another great day in Southeast Alaska.