Glacier Bay National Park is a living testament to the ever-changing landscape of Southeast Alaska. As we sailed north through the park, we saw many of the glaciers for which the park is named, the remnants of the same glaciers that John Muir saw when he first visited the area over a century ago. The wildlife and vegetation that we experienced on our day in the park is evidence of the landscape’s rebirth as it emerges from under the ice.
8/1/2019
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National Geographic Venture
Baranof Island
After exploring the glaciers and open waters of the northern Inside Passage, we sailed south through the night and returned to the starting point of our journey, Baranof Island. This island, along with Admiralty to the east and Chichagof to the north, is home to one of the highest densities of brown bears in the world. To search for evidence of the bears as they begin their yearly salmon feast and continue our exploration of the temperate rainforest, we anchored in Kelp Bay to kayak and hike the shoreline throughout the morning. Later in the afternoon, we welcomed Dr. Andy Szabo of the Alaska Whale Foundation to learn more about ongoing research taking place in Alaska on the unique bubblenet feeding behavior we witnessed earlier in the trip. Only in Alaska can you experience the forest, salmon, bears, and whales all in one day.
