On Saturday morning, National Geographic Quest made her way through the Tracy Arm Fjord system. It was a beautiful, cool morning as we maneuvered the ship up to the Sawyer Glacier to get looks at the wall of ice, before repositioning the ship near Sawyer Island. From this vantage point, we took our guests out on two rounds of Zodiac tours. Our drivers took guests through a maze of freshly fallen icebergs and small chunks of ice, to get up-close views of the South Sawyer Glacier. While gazing at the massive, brilliant blue wall of ice, our guests were delighted to see towers of ice and sheer granite rock cliffs towering over hundreds of harbor seals hauled out on the icebergs. After the tours, we slowly worked our way out of the fjord, back towards Stephens Passage, taking in the sights of the tall mountains covered in low hanging clouds and the emerald-green waters slowly turning back to blue.
9/4/2024
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National Geographic Quest
Kelp Bay and Hidden Falls
It was drizzling a bit as we made our way to the scenic anchorage at Kelp Bay. Through the drizzle, we were excited to see a sow brown bear with her two cubs fishing for salmon in the stream! It was a fantastic start to an amazing day. Our guests went on some beautiful hikes through the dense temperate rainforest, which had the fresh scent of rain and evergreens. One of the hikes led to a muskeg and a huge beaver pond. It was worth the effort to get there. During lunch, we repositioned National Geographic Quest to a bay near Hidden Falls where there is a salmon hatchery. At the hatchery, the air buzzed with activity as brown bears, Steller sea lions, and birds feasted on the salmon schooling at the fish ladder. The massive bears of varying ages and sizes stood poised to strike at the wriggling fish. They snatch their prey in their powerful paws and jaws. This time of year, the bears are hyper focused on feeding, so they can replenish their reserves before their winters sleep. Our viewing of the bears was a thrilling reminder of nature’s raw and untamed beauty.