The last day aboard National Geographic Sea Bird was action packed! Guests awoke to Expedition Leader Oren Frey announcing that there were orcas around the ship, which we had the opportunity to watch for some time before breakfast. In the afternoon, guests were treated to a plethora of hike options, anywhere from a long bushwack to a casual forest wander through the Tongass National Forest. Before cocktail hour, the most adventurous of guests jumped into the frigid waters of Saook Bay, while our Global Explorers had the opportunity to learn to drive Zodiacs. It’s always bittersweet saying goodbye to the people we have gotten to know so well, but we hope that we have created stewards and ambassadors of the wild, Alaska, and nature.
9/7/2024
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National Geographic Sea Lion
Tracy Arm and South Sawyer Glacier
Our expedition began yesterday in Alaska’s capital city, Juneau, at the foot of the coastal mountains, draped in the deep greens and grays of the temperate rainforest. Rain was the operative description of the day, but as we headed south the weather broke and we had fine sailing overnight toward Tracy Arm. This fjord is incised deeply into the mountains, close to the Stikine ice field and the border with Canada. Heading toward South Sawyer Glacier we were able to explore this unique landscape in our expedition landing craft, weaving among the floating broken glacier ice. We spied mountain goats on the steep mountainsides, harbor seals in the water and on the ice, and the deep blue face of the glacier as it tumbled over a rocky ridge into the sea. We enjoyed informative presentations from the expedition staff throughout the afternoon, as well as time to enjoy the scenery from the outer decks of the ship. As we sailed out of the fjord in the golden light of early evening, we saw a lone humpback whale cruising the shoreline and lazily feeding on schools of small fish. A fine day of exploration in Southeast Alaska.
