Today was an amazing day! We woke up to National Geographic Quest cruising into Tracy Arm fjord. Eager to get a glimpse of South Sawyer glacier, we all took in the sights on the bow of the ship. After breakfast, we rode Zodiacs as close as we could to the glacier. We saw arctic terns, mew gulls, marbled murrelets, harbor seals, and shooters (chunks of the glacier that break free from the bottom and shoot to the surface due to the buoyancy of the ice). Arctic terns complete the longest migration on Earth! They are amazing birds. The chilly boat ride was accompanied by hot chocolate. It was great! Then we received a great talk on photo composition by our certified photo instructor. As we were leaving Tracy Arm, we saw icebergs, waterfalls, U-shaped valleys, and North Sawyer Glacier from the ship. The Global Explorers had a chance to paint. After dinner, we enjoyed another talk, this one about kelp and its importance. What a great day!
- Daily Expedition Reports
- 24 Jul 2023
Tracy Arm-Fords Terror Wilderness, 7/24/2023, National Geographic Quest
- Aboard the National Geographic Quest
- Alaska
Lauren Boye, Undersea Specialist
Lauren is a steward of the ocean and is happy as long as she is near it. She has many years of experience working on and in the ocean. SCUBA diving is her favorite hobby and fish are her best friends. She also loves spending time on boats and watchin...
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Our final day here in Southeast Alaska was filled with steep fjords, awe-inspiring glaciers, fierce polar plungers, a number of humpbacks, and a beautiful sunset. As we spent the last day in Zodiacs, driving and adrift amongst the ice in front of Dawes Glacier, we were reminded of how tiny we are on this blue rock that abounds with natural beauty and ecological wonders. As the harbor seals swam by, we celebrated the journey with our shipmates, some partaking in a polar plunge. Then we turned off into the sunset surrounded by the sounds of humpback exhalations. Alaska has been a wonder, and we have been thoughtful visitors in a place fragile yet vast.