Sailing through Holkham Bay into Tracy Arm-Fords Terror Wilderness, we find ourselves once again in the presence of ice. The misty morning creates beautiful reflections on the water of the rich blue icebergs, and seals take watchful glances at us as we pass. The actively calving South Sawyer Glacier is an amazing place to spend the morning exploring by Zodiac. Out final day wouldn’t be complete without the chance to swim in Alaska’s chilly waters during the afternoon’s polar plunge.
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.
