Under low-hanging clouds and through dense fog, National Geographic Quest made her way through the Tracy Arm Fjord system. With slow strolls past one gushing cascade after another, trees coated in a heavy, gray mist, and mountaintops that seemed to disappear into nothingness the higher we looked, we finally caught our first sight of a brilliant blue glacier face. Sitting about a half-mile from the glacier itself, our guests were in awe at the size and beauty of the Sawyer Glacier. After a few moments on the deck, we turned the ship and found a spot to float near Sawyer Island. From here, we dropped Zodiacs and ran guests up through a maze of blue-white icebergs, past a sea of curious harbor seals, and finally, to the face of the massive South Sawyer Glacier. After spending the morning among the giants of ice, we turned back again and made our way to the entrance and on to our next stop.
7/23/2024
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National Geographic Quest
Petersburg
This morning National Geographic Quest arrived at the small fishing town and bustling harbor of Petersburg. Petersburg is among the top 20 fishing ports in the United States and walking and biking around the community we could appreciate the charm of the amazing homes along the waterfront. After breakfast we divided into our different groups based on our activities and explored the town by bicycle, walking to a muskeg bog, climbing Petersburg Mountain, or enjoying cultural tours with some of the locals as guides. Every activity was fun and educational. It felt like we were the only tourists in town, and we really got a sense for small town Alaska. After lunch the rain set in and some of us decided to relax on board while others put on rain gear and enjoyed a Zodiac tour around the harbor, walks, or a bike ride around town. Returning to the ship, we had an incredible presentation by a local resident about Tlingit culture before our recap and amazing Dungeness crab dinner that followed. It was another great day in Southeast Alaska.