There is nothing quite like cruising through the landscapes of Glacier Bay National Park and encountering the local animals that call this place home. Each turn is home to a new glacier, species, or other natural phenomena that keep us in awe of nature all day. We sighted sea otters cruising through the water, harbor seals chilling on ice, kittiwakes and puffins soaring overhead, as well as sea lions hauled out on islands and humpback whales engaging in surface activity. Throughout the breaks in wildlife, we had lectures on the wildlife of the area and activities for our Global Explorers. After a day of cruising, we managed walks along the forests of Bartlett Cove to get one good walk in before enjoying recap and dinner. Yet another day to celebrate the joys of life aboard National Geographic Quest.
- Daily Expedition Reports
- 16 Aug 2022
Glacier Bay National Park , 8/16/2022, National Geographic Quest
- Aboard the National Geographic Quest
- Alaska
Shannon Malone, Naturalist
Growing up along the coastal environment of San Diego, Shannon started her first volunteer job at a local nature center at the age of six. Since then, she has built her personal life and professional career around connecting with nature. She received...
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We awoke to a wall of ice towering outside of the ship. Sometime in the night we anchored alongside the monumental Johns Hopkins Glacier. Along the base of the glacier, hundreds of harbor seals lounged on the rafts of ice, and stunning mountain views accompanied the impressive natural feature for which the park was named. After eating breakfast with a glacial blue backdrop, we pulled anchor and began our exploration of the park in earnest. We visited several more glaciers, including prime examples of tidewater, hanging, and beached varieties; we also observed large numbers of sea otters and surf scoters. After lunch we turned our focus to wildlife and were rewarded with views of mountain goats on Gloomy Knob, as well as a brown bear excavating a comfortable resting spot on the beach. Later we were treated to a surprise concert by one of our guests (award winning musician Jim Peterick). We wrapped up the day with a visit to South Marble Island where dozens of tufted puffins and large rafts of Steller sea lions gave excellent views.
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Today we began our adventures by dropping anchor at one of our favorite locations in Southeast Alaska, the Inian Islands! We disembarked National Geographic Quest to hop into our Zodiacs to explore this wild archipelago. Later in the day we repositioned to an anchorage in Port Althorp, known as Salt Chuck Bay. We got the chance to explore by kayaking as well as hiking through the meadow in the bay and the lush rainforest. It was a fantastic day in Southeast Alaska!