Days on board National Geographic Sea Bird are busy. Staff, crew, and officers work for most of their waking hours and guests aim to maximize their time on holiday. When my head hits the pillow each night, there is little energy left for tossing and turning. I imagine most everyone on the boat feels the same way. But amidst the business are moments of blissful stillness. The most fulfilling part of my work is delivering people to these moments in the Alaskan wilderness. Many of those moments occurred today. I sat in a kayak with a woman who had declared this to be her latest in a line of “grand adventures” – we paddled until our arms tired then stopped to breathe the fresh air and listen to the screech of ravens. At the face of the glacier with our engines turned off, we listened to the thunder of glacier calving – a strangely soothing sound. The perpetually busy Arctic terns took rest in these moments, preening on icebergs. There is no doubt that today was exhausting, but it is only after such grand adventures that we travelers can truly rest.
7/22/2024
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National Geographic Sea Lion
Sitka Sound
Early risers aboard National Geographic Sea Lion were treated to a stellar show of humpback whales this morning as we made our way south down the mountain-studded coast of Baranof Island. The long, lazy swell that lulled us to sleep overnight contrasted spectacularly with the fast breaches, tail slaps, and fluking displays that surrounded us as we rounded Cape Edgecumbe and entered Sitka Sound. Sea otters and fishing boats galore greeted us as we slipped into the calm waters of the sound, bound for Magoun Islands State Marine Park for an afternoon of Zodiac cruising and hiking. The hikers found ample evidence of recent bear presence in the form of fresh scat and tracks, but no bears were to be found. Most of us were quite relieved not to surprise a bear! The Zodiac cruisers were treated to gorgeous intertidal habitats littered with mussels, barnacles, sea stars, and clams. After warming up a bit at lunch, a record thirty-one brave souls jumped into the frigid waters for our polar plunge! As we arrived in Sitka this evening, we admired the snow-capped mountain tops normally shrouded in mist. Steller sea lions cavorting around the dock served as reminders of our adventures.
