What is a day in the life of a Global Explorer in Alaska like? If it’s a sunshiny day in Glacier Bay National Park, it starts early! While the sun is still rising, we pick up a special guest in Bartlett Cove: a National Park Service Ranger! On the bow in a brisk dawn, we begin a journey Up Bay, on the lookout for wildlife and fun. The day has yet to behold the wonders of pristine wilderness: rainforest, glacial fjords, mountain goats, brown bears, harbor seals, tidewater glaciers, and the joy of experiencing all with family and friends.
- Daily Expedition Reports
- 20 Aug 2019
Glacier Bay National Park, 8/20/2019, National Geographic Quest
- Aboard the National Geographic Quest
- Alaska
Sarah Keefer, Naturalist
Sarah’s fondest memories of nature are experiences she’s shared with friends—especially when those experiences involve spotting wildlife from the bow of a ship! She’s captivated by the wonders of the natural world, and it was the lure of expansive wi...
Read MoreSarah Culler, Videographer
Sarah was raised on a multi-generational family dairy farm, established circa 1815 in Lucas, Ohio. Consequently, her first paying job was milking cows! Rewarding as it was to get paid for the first time, she found her passion behind the lens of a cam...
Read MoreShare Report
Alaska's Inside Passage
VIEW ITINERARYRelated Reports
9/6/2024
Read
National Geographic Quest
Glacier Bay National Park
We awoke to a wall of ice towering outside of the ship. Sometime in the night we anchored alongside the monumental Johns Hopkins Glacier. Along the base of the glacier, hundreds of harbor seals lounged on the rafts of ice, and stunning mountain views accompanied the impressive natural feature for which the park was named. After eating breakfast with a glacial blue backdrop, we pulled anchor and began our exploration of the park in earnest. We visited several more glaciers, including prime examples of tidewater, hanging, and beached varieties; we also observed large numbers of sea otters and surf scoters. After lunch we turned our focus to wildlife and were rewarded with views of mountain goats on Gloomy Knob, as well as a brown bear excavating a comfortable resting spot on the beach. Later we were treated to a surprise concert by one of our guests (award winning musician Jim Peterick). We wrapped up the day with a visit to South Marble Island where dozens of tufted puffins and large rafts of Steller sea lions gave excellent views.
9/5/2024
Read
National Geographic Quest
Inian Islands and Salt Chuck Bay
Today we began our adventures by dropping anchor at one of our favorite locations in Southeast Alaska, the Inian Islands! We disembarked National Geographic Quest to hop into our Zodiacs to explore this wild archipelago. Later in the day we repositioned to an anchorage in Port Althorp, known as Salt Chuck Bay. We got the chance to explore by kayaking as well as hiking through the meadow in the bay and the lush rainforest. It was a fantastic day in Southeast Alaska!