Haines, Alaska, 5/28/2024, National Geographic Sea Lion
Aboard the
National Geographic Sea Lion
Alaska
It was a lovely day in Haines! To be greeted with so much sun and clear skies was truly a blessing. In the morning, guests departed the ship for a variety of hiking, biking and fly fishing activities. They explored and learned about this lush temperature rainforest and the adornment of bird and plant life across this glacially carved landscape.
Afternoon activities included more hikes, fly fishing, and a fascinating outing on the Klukwan River Float tour. It included education of the Tlingit history and was followed by an exciting raft float down the silty Chilkat River Valley.
Alex grew up surrounded by the endless outdoors of Portland, OR, his summers filled with nature day camp, hiking, basketball, mountain biking, and more basketball. After working as a nature day camp teacher with Portland Parks & Recreation through hi...
Throughout the night, National Geographic Sea Lion cruised south in Chatham Strait. Heading further south into Stephens Passage, we approached Holkham Bay and the entrance to Tracy Arm-Fords Terror Wilderness, 653,179 acres of land which received the highest level of protection from Congress in 1980. Most of our day would be spent exploring the deep fjords which make up the heart of the Tracy Arm-Fords Terror Wilderness. Zodiacs were dropped and our group was divided in half, each group taking an hour and a half traveling up the fjord to the face of Dawes Glacier. White thunder sounded from the face of the glacier, birds circled, and harbor porpoises showed their dorsal fins. Due to heavy rain, waterfalls of many sizes were everywhere. Once Zodiac rides returned to the ship, our floating home began a cruise back down Endicott Arm heading for Holkham Bay and the entrance back to Stephens Passage. A very silly brown bear, humpback whales, Steller sea lions, and more porpoises were observed throughout the afternoon and early evening. It was an amazing first day, and Southeast Alaska was enjoyed by all, with so much more to come!
National Geographic Sea Lion cruised throughout the night, heading south through Lynn Canal and making her way towards Tracy Arm-Fords Terror Wilderness Area. Early in the morning, we were on approach to Holkham Bay, where we “crossed the bar,” which consists of glacial outwash at the entrance to an extensive fjord system. This wilderness area was established by Congress in 1980, and 653,179 acres of land fall under federal wilderness protection. This fjord system is made up of two arms approximately thirty miles in length. Our goal was Endicott Arm, where we would spend the entire day. During the last ice age, thousands of feet of ice covered this entire area. When the retreat of ice began, these fjords were carved by that ice. This allowed sea water to enter, offering excellent cruising for many ships. National Geographic Sea Lion spent the day cruising and dropping in many of our kayaks and Zodiacs, so all had a chance to paddle and/or cruise this picturesque waterway.
After an all-night transit, we docked at Haines for a full day of activities in the omnipresent rain, although it never dampened our collective spirits. Many guests began a strenuous hike through the coastal rainforest up to 1760-foot Mt Riley only to have the assent stopped by snow and ice. Others visited the Jilkaat Kwaan Heritage Center followed by a chilling float trip on the Chilkat River. A few chose between a morning bike tour, a moderate hike through a small rainforest to Battery Point, or a photo walk. The Battery Point hike, bike tour, and photo walk were also offered in the afternoon. At any point during the day, guests could simply stroll through the small town (population 2300). Some guests visited The Sheldon Museum, offering history and artifacts associated with the Tlingit culture along with the immigrant population dating from the 19th century to the present. Others stopped in the Hammer Museum, which contains the world’s largest collection (over 2500!) of hammers of all sizes and functions from ancient times to now. Visits were also made to the local distillery and brewery. We all enjoyed the Traditional Crab Night for dinner, which was preceded by the equally traditional Ray Troll t-shirt fashion show.
