Expedition Stories
Our fleet navigates the world in search of adventure. These are the stories they bring back…
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Previous Reports
6/20/2019
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National Geographic Orion
Traversing the Alaska Peninsula
This morning National Geographic Orion woke along Alaska’s Shumagin Islands: So remote and pristine it’s hard to imagine all the people who have passed through this area. These islands have been inhabited for the last 8,000 years by the Unangan, known more modernly as the Aleut. The islands were named after Nikita Shumagin, one of the Russian sailors on a 1741 expedition led by Danish cartographer Vitus Bering, who was (Shumagin) the first of many to die of scurvy and buried on nearby Nagai Island. On Nagai, naturalist Georg Steller tried to convince the crew the water that they found and collected was brackish, the saltiness of which would dehydrate the crew and further worsen the condition of those with scurvy. Regardless, they proceeded to fill their barrels (even after Steller located a source of fresh water nearby) and continued on their journey. The eight-day duration spent here was the very first of Europeans having encountered the Aleut people, which Steller posited were of Asian origin. Passing by Sand Point on Popof Island, we saw multiple purse seiners fishing for salmon. The rich resources of the area have drawn humans for thousands of years. After the Aleuts came Russians seeking sea otter fur, Scandinavians for cod, silver and blue fox farmers, followed by the discoveries of gold and coal. Further down the Peninsula we entered the ring of fire that has created this exceptionally stunning part of Alaska. We could see steam coming from the stratovolcano Pavlof, one of the most active volcanoes in North America that has erupted no less than 24 times in the last century. Blessed by an incredibly beautiful day we also had great looks at Mounts Dutton, Frosty, Roundtop, “Ragged Jack” Isanotski, and the tallest of them, the 9,342-foot-high Shishaldin. If the beauty surrounding wasn’t enough we had incredible bird sightings throughout the day and a baby humpback breach three times followed by the mother and calf pair right off the bow of the ship. During our evening recap Captain Heidi kept us close to the coast to observe the wreck of SS Oduna, a casualty of heavy seas in November of 1965. Chief mate at the helm the radar became inoperative and strong currents swept her onto the rocks. Fortunately, the crew survived and they were able to salvage 200,000 pounds of frozen crab meat from her hold. What a day!
6/24/2019
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National Geographic Orion
At Sea towards Kiska
We sailed alongside two Aleutian Islands this morning. We awoke to fog and increasing wind, enough to remind us that these islands often experience stormy weather even though the Bering Sea has blessed us with calm days so far. After breakfast, many of us crowded onto the ship’s bridge, and a few braved the outer decks for a passage through Kagalaska Strait. This channel runs between the islands of Kagalaska and Adak. In some places, it is only 900 feet wide, and the low cloud, which eventually brought rain, made the whole scene even more stark and beautiful. Waterfalls flow down to the sea, and despite the harsh winds, lush greenery carpets these small islands. As modern explorers, once the passage ended we promptly returned to the observation lounge and drank hot chocolate. We spent the remainder of the day aboard. National Geographic photographer Erika Larsen presented her current work as a National Geographic Fellow. Her investigation of ritual, as a connection to the natural world, brought us to many communities in North and South America. After lunch we listened to naturalist Grace Winer give an introduction to the Bering Sea. This shallow sea, which separates Russia and the United States, has an ecology and geology all its own. Our final presentation of the day came from naturalist Adam Maire, who is also an expert in the World War II history of this region. Tomorrow, we will visit Kiska Island, which was a Japanese outpost during the Second World War. After dinner, we crossed the 180th meridian, entering officially the Eastern Hemisphere!
6/26/2019
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National Geographic Orion
Attu & Aleutian Islands
We have made it to the westernmost point in the United States! (Sort of.) The island of Attu is part of the Aleutian island group most distant from the continental United States. We have traveled very far west to get here, but because it is also across the 180 th meridian at a longitude of 173 degrees and 11 minutes east, we are also the furthest east that we could get in this country. Make sense? The weather here in Attu was spectacular. Calm with enough low cloud to provide “atmosphere” but not enough to obscure the snow-streaked mountains. We even had a few minutes of sunlight. We landed at a beach near one of the few roads that still crisscrosses this island from the World War II era. We walked up to a series of interpretive plaques and a monument that reminded us of the operations which took place here in 1943 when the ally forces landed and fought the Japanese to reclaim the island. Amidst the World War II history, it’s also important to remember that indigenous people occupied this land for many generations until they were forcibly removed during the war. Our long-distance hikers scaled a ridge leading to a distant memorial commemorating the battles that took place here. Our birders, shorter hikers, and photographers wandered the grassy meadows and paths along the lagoon closer to the beach. The greenery of the island mixes with snow-capped mountains and deep valleys. The historic ruins remind us of the layered history that makes this place well known, despite its remote location. After lunch, we managed one short Zodiac cruise to say a proper goodbye to the United States as we head for the International Date Line and the border with Russia.
6/29/2019
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National Geographic Orion
Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, Kamchatka
National Geographic Orion sailed over glassy calm seas toward Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, our first port of call in Russia. One by one we could make out the three stratovolcanoes that dominate the skyline, with the perfect cone of Koryaksky rising against a rare blue sky. Once alongside the ship was cleared by the officials and we went ashore to visit the highlights of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky. The friendly locals told us repeatedly that we visited on a good day, as it was only the third sunny day in June. Indeed, the city was buzzing with activity as everyone took advantage of what could be the best day of the entire summer.
7/3/2019
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National Geographic Orion
Komander Bay on Bering Island
Today was one of the major highlights of our expedition to the Russian Far East with a morning landing at the Bering Memorial at Komander Bay. It was here on Bering Island that Vitrus Bering and his men were shipwrecked during a storm in the fall of 1741. In poor health from starvation and scurvy, Bering and 15 of his men died at this very spot. The naturalist Georg Steller was the hero of the expedition, helping to save the remaining men by identifying the right plants and animals to eat to ensure their survival over the winter. We made Zodiac landing at this remote site then explored the trails that led to the memorial, venturing further afield to explore the river valley and to climb the high ridge for a spectacular view. The major surprise of the morning was not the lady slipper orchid, but a curious Arctic fox scavenging for food on the beach that stole the show. What an amazing morning!
6/20/2019
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National Geographic Orion
Geographic Harbor, Katmai National Park
Heavy fog blanketed Geographic Harbor as we dropped anchor right around 6:00 this morning. Geographic Harbor is a part of Katmai National Park, the site of the largest volcanic eruption of the 20 th century. We set out early in our fleet of Zodiacs to look for the legendary coastal brown bears that come here to feed on salmon. We did find bears as the fog lifted, but the salmon will not be here until July so the bears were feeding on clams, mussels, and barnacles. These bears also enjoy their vegetables and like to eat protein-rich sedges and cow parsnip. The landscape near the water has a thick cover of grasses and brush, mostly Sitka alder. Early wildflowers were in bloom—wild geranium, Kamchatka rhododendron, iris, lupine, and angelica. As we made our way back to our ship the fog dissipated and revealed a magnificent landscape of glacially sculpted mountains with patches of stark-white snow, gleaming against large areas of pale-grey volcanic ash from the 1912 eruption, still marking these steeps nearly a century later.
6/22/2019
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National Geographic Orion
Baby Islands and Unalaska, Alaska
Birds, birds, birds… Our day began with Zodiac explorations of the Baby Islands, a very special location for seabirds along the Aleutian Island chain. The abundance of wildlife here was incredible, from the rafts of tufted puffins, to bald eagles soaring along the volcanic cliffs. But the prize here are the Whiskered Auklets, a diminutive seabird that is a prize sighting for the birders among us. Not to mention the Laysan albatross that come here from Hawaii to feed before returning home to feed their chicks. In the afternoon we made our first port of call to Unalaska, where National Geographic Orion navigated the narrows of Dutch Harbor. Here we visited the sights, including a long hike for a scenic view, a birding walk along the spit, and interesting visits to the Russian Orthodox Church and World War II museum. Sailing west thought glassy, calm seas our day was not over, as we encountered a large pod of killer whales exhibiting a variety of social interactions. For more than one hour, the whales were very close to the ship, an amazing spectacle. Rumor has it that “Pink Floyd” made an appearance…
6/25/2019
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National Geographic Orion
Kiska Harbor
The fog was drifting through the hills as National Geographic Orion slipped into Kiska Harbor early in the morning. This historical island was once home to the largest occupying enemy force on United States ground in North America during the Second World War. Kiska Island held a garrison of just under 8,000 Japanese soldiers at its peak. For just over one year the Japanese occupied Kiska until on August 15 th , 1943, 34,400 American and Canadian troops stormed the beaches of Kiska to take it back. To their surprise the 5,300 Japanese troops that were still on the island just a few weeks before had vanished, carried away by the Japanese Navy under the cover of fog. For the guests of the ship, this meant many relics of the war left behind for exploration. There were hikes and Zodiac tours around the harbor and the divers even explored a Japanese shipwreck. After the morning adventures the ship set off to sea again. Everyone was amazed to see thousands of sea birds surrounding the cliffs of Sirius Point. At the end of the day a large male sperm whale proceeded to wave goodbye as we continued on our journey west.
6/27/2019
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National Geographic Orion
At Sea: Attu to Kamchatka
National Geographic Orion spent the day cruising through the open ocean, headed for Russia! Leaving Attu and the United States in its wake, the ship closes distance on the Kamchatka Peninsula of the Russian Far East. On board the day was filled with informative lectures and looking for wildlife. The sea birds stole the show as they glided just over the tops of the waves. A few luck searches were rewarded with sightings of fin whales and short-tailed albatross.
7/2/2019
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National Geographic Orion
Kamen Ariy Island & Nikolskoye Village
We arrived early this morning off Kamen Ariy, an amazing islet off northwest Bering Island, the westernmost Aleutian Island. The temperature was 6 o C and the sea surface under low cloud cover like smooth, silvery billows as we set forth in our fleet of Zodiacs. Kamen Ariy is amazing for two reasons: first is the geology, as it is formed of columnar basalt with the columns positioned is such a way as to provide myriad nesting sites for birds; second is that every possible nesting site is being occupied by nesting seabirds—tens of thousands of them. Common and thick-billed murres nested shoulder-to-shoulder on narrow ledges. Tufted and horned puffins and smaller auklets occupied the highest ground. Kittiwakes shared the basalt cliffs lower on the island and here the black-legged kittiwakes nested side-by-side with the rare red-legged kittiwakes—of which we saw many! Red-faced and pelagic cormorants were resplendent in their breeding plumage. Young northern fur seals romped near kelp beds and giant Steller’s sea lions had a small rookery on the rocks. In the afternoon, we visited the village of Nikolskoye, home to 613 ethnic Russians and Aleuts. With schoolchildren as our guides, we toured the village with its two museums and a new visitors’ center. We enjoyed a dance performance at the cultural center and visited the small but beautiful Russian Orthodox Church built of logs. The people were very friendly and welcoming.
7/4/2019
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National Geographic Orion
Karaginskiy Island and Tymlat Village
After our time at Bering Island, we returned to the Kamchatka Peninsula to continue our explorations. In the morning, we made a bonus landing on Karaginskiy Island, which was filled with birds, wildflowers, and beachcombing treats. In the afternoon, we had our first experience with the Koryak people and had a marvelous visit to the village of Tymlat.
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