Overnight we traveled through Chatham Strait, and this morning we arrived at Shaw Island to explore Fox Creek. A few naturalists went ashore first to scout the bear trails for safety; we were then ready to welcome our guests on the island. We divided into three large groups to explore this majestic old-growth forest. Along the way our naturalists explained the intricate relationships of this diverse environment, a “web of life” as one called it. In the afternoon, we cruised near the Inian Islands looking for marine mammals. It didn’t take long before we saw humpback whales demonstrating feeding behavior. It was another wonderful day in Southeast Alaska aboard National Geographic Sea Lion.
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.
