There are special places you visit that you know you will remember for a lifetime. George Island is one of these, and our morning there will remain with us for years to come.
We began the day with a pleasant stretching session up on the top deck with our wellness specialist Chella. After a sumptuous breakfast and briefing from our expedition leader, Lee, we clambered into our gear and headed ashore for our morning adventure.
Naturalists Melanie, William, and Bette Lu lead hikers into the thick forest to explore the island. The short walkers traversed the narrow isthmus and wandered the sandy beach looking for intertidal animals. Melanie followed a meandering path to the other side of the island with the moderate walkers. Along the way they found Sitka spruce, mosses covering everything, a martin, and a glacial erratic while numerous songbirds serenaded their progress. At the end of the path was a rusting six-inch gun stoically reminding us of another chapter in history.
Meanwhile, an intrepid group was out exploring the coastline in our trusty expedition landing craft. They returned with rich stories of humpback whales feeding, lunging, spouting; they were everywhere. Lee decided on the spot that this was worth a look. He stopped everything, organized everyone into the boats and set off to see some whales. It was worth every second. Sharing a moment with these majestic creatures was something that will remain with us forever.
After a delicious lunch on board, we were quickly back in our gear and in the boats for a cruise around the Inian Islands. This time we were searching for Stellar sea lions and were not disappointed. With bald eagles watching from the thick forest lining the shore, we drifted through the strong currents and watched in awe as these massive creatures played, fished, and tussled alongside our boats.
While the cruisers were enjoying the sea lions, Justin and I went for a dive to explore the underwater world. We found a rocky outcrop nearby and plunged into the cold Alaskan waters. Below, we found a myriad of creatures including nudibranchs of all shapes and sizes, basket tars, and pink soft corals, and several camera-shy greenlings. Countless kelp fronds turned the shallow waters into a watery forest. It was a wonderful compliment to our above water adventures.
After dinner, the ship cruised through the Point Adolphus area as we were treated to the site of humpback whales plying the rich waters. Melanie then regaled us with a fascinating talk entitled “Ice to Otters” about the history of Glacier Bay National Park.
