This morning, National Geographic Quest picked up a park service ranger and headed into the heart of Glacier Bay National Park. After breakfast, Ranger Allie gave us an introduction to the birds and history of the glacially carved landscape that we would spend the day exploring.
When we arrived at South Marble Island, we all bundled up and headed out on the bow to see the amazing profusion of life that uses the small island to rest and nest. Steller sea lions, horned and tufted puffins, common murres, black oystercatchers, and the occasional sea otter left an air of excitement among the crowd as we cruised the eastern shore of the island. Further down the fjord, we saw our first bear of the trip in the intertidal. Turning over rocks large and small, the coastal brown bear was foraging on mussels, barnacles, and looking for small fish left behind in the receding tide.
The excitement did not end there, as we rounded the corner and found eleven mountain goats on Gloomy Knob! After lunch, we spent some time in front of Johns Hopkins Glacier, one of the few advancing glaciers in Alaska.
Glacier Bay National Park did not disappoint with its incredibly grandiose landscape full of wildlife.
