We crossed the bar at the mouth of Endicott Arm in the company of a cow-calf pair of humpback whales, a retinue of marbled murrelets, a belted kingfisher, and a calling greater yellowlegs. All eyes were on the whales, as one might imagine. It was the beginning of a beautiful, calm, and mostly sunny and dry day. What brief rain we had was well timed, and our Zodiac rides at the face of the Dawes Glacier were the highlight of the day, if not the trip.
5/7/2025
Read
National Geographic Sea Lion
Inian Islands, Port Althorp
The Inian Islands invoke sheer joy and excitement among the naturalists, which in turn, is transferred to the guests. We set out in Zodiacs, traversing in nearly unprecedented calm conditions through the narrow Mosquito Pass, then around North Inian Island. We observed over a dozen bald eagles and sea lions waiting for the inrushing tide to bring fish to the surface for easy pickings. We also saw a couple of male sea otters peacefully lying on the surface while fluffing up their fur to introduce air for insulation (they don’t have blubber). The weather was classic Alaska…sun grading to rain…then to partly cloudy. In the afternoon, we traveled to Port Althorp for kayaking and hikes. Again, very calm conditions with intermittent sun and rain. The hikes were beautiful, winding across the mud flats and into the thick rainforest painted with several shades of green. Bear trails were observed and used by us as convenient paths to follow. Kayakers slowly paddled across glassy water to enjoy the peace and solitude. The day ended with soft sun.
