We had a wonderful first day of our trip together. We woke up near the sandbar that marks the entrance to Tracy Arm. We spent the early morning on the bow, looking at seabirds and the incredible towering rock faces of the fjord. Upon sighting South Sawyer Glacier, we dropped our Zodiacs to explore this special place in Tracy Arm-Fords Terror National Wilderness. We were lucky from the beginning. We saw three mountain goats grazing on impossibly high vegetation on the rock walls around us. As we moved closer to the face of the glacier, harbor seals inquisitively popped their heads up from all sides of our Zodiacs. We even got the chance to see some pretty remarkable calving events. During and after lunch, we enjoyed the views from National Geographic Sea Bird as we cruised towards Williams Cove near the mouth of Tracy Arm. Here, we all went ashore to explore and get our first taste of the temperate rainforest of Southeast Alaska. It was a beautiful afternoon with clear views of the nearby mountains and with lots to discover in the forest – we even enjoyed some snacking on salmonberries, blueberries, and watermelon berries along the way. We were happy to be off to such a great start!
5/7/2025
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National Geographic Sea Lion
Inian Islands, Port Althorp
The Inian Islands invoke sheer joy and excitement among the naturalists, which in turn, is transferred to the guests. We set out in Zodiacs, traversing in nearly unprecedented calm conditions through the narrow Mosquito Pass, then around North Inian Island. We observed over a dozen bald eagles and sea lions waiting for the inrushing tide to bring fish to the surface for easy pickings. We also saw a couple of male sea otters peacefully lying on the surface while fluffing up their fur to introduce air for insulation (they don’t have blubber). The weather was classic Alaska…sun grading to rain…then to partly cloudy. In the afternoon, we traveled to Port Althorp for kayaking and hikes. Again, very calm conditions with intermittent sun and rain. The hikes were beautiful, winding across the mud flats and into the thick rainforest painted with several shades of green. Bear trails were observed and used by us as convenient paths to follow. Kayakers slowly paddled across glassy water to enjoy the peace and solitude. The day ended with soft sun.