Today is glacier day! We left Glacier Bay as the sun set last night and headed to Tracy Arm and South Sawyer Glacier. Along the way, naturalists on the bow spotted mountain goats – two sets of mom and kit pairs! We got out the spotting scope so guests could enjoy a close-up view. It is so special to see these animals scale the steep cliff sides. Next, the bridge team drew the nose of our ship extraordinarily close to two neighboring cascades of water gushing down rock faces. Since we are in a fjord system, the waters are very deep right up to the face of the rocks, which means the ship can get very close! After lunch, the deck team lowered the Zodiacs, and off we went – to the glacier! We explored icebergs and dramatic rock formations along the route to the face of South Sawyer Glacier. There is something awe-inspiring about being in the presence of glaciers – they are life changing. What a stunning day in Southeast Alaska. Tomorrow, we arrive in Petersburg!
5/7/2025
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National Geographic Sea Bird
Daajing Giids, Haida Gwaii, Hecate Strait
After an evening cruising from SG̱ang Gwaay, National Geographic Sea Bird made one last stop this morning in Daajing Giids to drop off our cultural interpreters, DeeDee Crosby and Grace Garvie. At dock, we had two unique opportunities. The first, our daily morning stretch class had the opportunity to meet on land, and second, we welcomed the incredible artisan, Aay Aay, aboard. We were familiar with Aay Aay, who we had met two days prior as an interpreter at the Haida Heritage Center. His specialty is a revival of traditional Haida weaving. During Aay Aay’s time on board, he shared with us his personal story about discovering and mastering his art with spruce root, cedar, and wool weaving. He taught us how to hand spin the warp threads that would be the beginnings of a wool piece. After an artistic morning, we embarked on our journey across Hecate Strait to reach our next destination along our expedition, Alaska. This evening, I write as we make our way into Dixon Entrance preparing to wake up to the scenery of the famed Misty Fjords in the morning.
