Icy Strait
Exploration, adventure, wildness; today we truly experienced the nature of Southeast Alaska. We left both cares and comforts behind, donned our raingear and bonded with our boots and set foot on land few humans have explored. Each hiking group felt the thrill of discovery; traveling different routes through forest, meadow and streambed. Some watched shoals of salmon, stemming the current of their natal stream on their way to spawn. Others marveled at tiny rufous hummingbirds hawking insects from the spruce cones and sipping nectar from day-glo fireweed flowers. Bald eagles lined the river bank; waiting for a pink salmon breakfast, while a sub-adult brown bear strolled through. Wild nagoonberries and strawberries were sweet and delicious, and the fragrance of meadow flowers triggered a deep sense of calm many of us had nearly forgotten. A few really adventurous souls even dove into frigid Alaskan waters for a swim!
After repositioning the Sea Lion, we took to the small boats for an afternoon in Dundas Bay. Both kayaks and Zodiacs launched from the jet dock, and set out to explore this wild western portion of Glacier Bay National Park. Misty clouds clung to the hillsides, as we glided over milky glacial blue water. Feeding gulls cried in the distance and tiny harbor porpoises surfaced directly beside us. A black bear wandered a beach, a sea otter swam by, a curious harbor seal nosed through the water, and all seemed right with the world.
It's hard to imagine a more perfect end to this day than what we received. Just at the end of dinner, a large pod of killer whales was sighted from the bridge! We rushed out on deck for our 6th (!) killer whale encounter of the trip, and couldn't take photos fast enough. Several of these large dolphins came very close to the ship; rolling and tail-slapping, spy-hopping and lunging, apparently feeding on the plentiful salmon that swim through North Inian Pass. As these whales swam west toward the Gulf of Alaska, we turned the Sea Lion to the east and our next day’s adventures in the Tracy Arm – Ford’s Terror Wilderness Area.
Exploration, adventure, wildness; today we truly experienced the nature of Southeast Alaska. We left both cares and comforts behind, donned our raingear and bonded with our boots and set foot on land few humans have explored. Each hiking group felt the thrill of discovery; traveling different routes through forest, meadow and streambed. Some watched shoals of salmon, stemming the current of their natal stream on their way to spawn. Others marveled at tiny rufous hummingbirds hawking insects from the spruce cones and sipping nectar from day-glo fireweed flowers. Bald eagles lined the river bank; waiting for a pink salmon breakfast, while a sub-adult brown bear strolled through. Wild nagoonberries and strawberries were sweet and delicious, and the fragrance of meadow flowers triggered a deep sense of calm many of us had nearly forgotten. A few really adventurous souls even dove into frigid Alaskan waters for a swim!
After repositioning the Sea Lion, we took to the small boats for an afternoon in Dundas Bay. Both kayaks and Zodiacs launched from the jet dock, and set out to explore this wild western portion of Glacier Bay National Park. Misty clouds clung to the hillsides, as we glided over milky glacial blue water. Feeding gulls cried in the distance and tiny harbor porpoises surfaced directly beside us. A black bear wandered a beach, a sea otter swam by, a curious harbor seal nosed through the water, and all seemed right with the world.
It's hard to imagine a more perfect end to this day than what we received. Just at the end of dinner, a large pod of killer whales was sighted from the bridge! We rushed out on deck for our 6th (!) killer whale encounter of the trip, and couldn't take photos fast enough. Several of these large dolphins came very close to the ship; rolling and tail-slapping, spy-hopping and lunging, apparently feeding on the plentiful salmon that swim through North Inian Pass. As these whales swam west toward the Gulf of Alaska, we turned the Sea Lion to the east and our next day’s adventures in the Tracy Arm – Ford’s Terror Wilderness Area.
