The first stop we made on our journey through Southeast Alaska was in Tracy Arm where we first went to see the North Sawyer Glacier from the comforts of National Geographic Quest. Majestic waterfalls all around us surely made for the start of an amazing morning and first day of the trip. We then went for Zodiac cruises up to the South Sawyer Glacier. Weaving our way in and out of beautiful ice sculptures in order to get to the face of the glacier and enjoying the sounds of the ice popping and the Harbor seals relaxing on ice flows, we enjoyed an amazing morning watching the calving of the glacier and all the thundering sounds it makes. Afterwards, we cruised out of the fjord and watched as whales spout and bears scavenged the shoreline for mussels and barnacles.
- Daily Expedition Reports
- 02 Jun 2019
Tracy Arm, Southeast Alaska, 6/2/2019, National Geographic Quest
- Aboard the National Geographic Quest
- Alaska
David Berg, Expedition Leader
David is an accomplished professional guide and polar Expedition Leader from Sweden. He has spent a big part of his life traveling between the Arctic and Antarctic, working as a full-time adventure guide. David has a wide range of experience having l...
Read MoreDavid Pickar, Videographer
David Pickar is a native of Portland, Oregon. He studied anthropology at the University of Oregon, then spent several years working as a field archaeologist. Participating in excavations in countries like Jordan, Belize and Italy and in every corner ...
Read MoreShare Report
Alaska's Inside Passage
VIEW ITINERARYRelated Reports
5/13/2025
Read
National Geographic Venture
Basket Bay
A day of Zodiac cruising in Basket Bay on Chichagof Island brought wild beauty and unforgettable encounters. As the morning mist thinned, we traced the rugged shoreline beneath towering forested cliffs, where ochre sea stars clung to rocks and dense clusters of blue mussels covered the intertidal zone like armor. Bald eagles circled overhead, and a river otter slipped along the kelp-strewn shore. Not long into our cruise, a humpback whale surfaced nearby, vanishing as suddenly as it appeared. Then, the real show began. A pod of five orcas emerged from the north, cutting through the water with smooth, deliberate power. Their tall dorsal fins knifed the surface in silence as we viewed them from a respectful distance, the pod weaving in and out of view among the swells. Onshore, waterfalls thundered from the cliffs, swollen with rain, sending spray across the rocks. The air smelled of salt and cedar. We lingered near one cascade, engines low, taking in the raw energy of water meeting sea. By the time we turned back toward the anchorage, the sky had turned dark and williwaws descended upon us. We were all smiles as memories of our special orca encounter shone brightly.
5/12/2025
Read
National Geographic Venture
Glacier Bay National Park
This morning, we awoke to the sun. Our adventures began with a series of hikes at Bartlett Cove, followed by a look at the Tribal House and at Snow, the humpback whale skeleton. We began our cruise north, past wild coastlines to the far extent of Margerie Glacier. Along the way we spotted abundant wildlife, including brown bears, moose, mountain goats, sea otters, sea lions, humpbacks, harbor porpoises, and even a porcupine. Expedition Leader Marylou could barely hold a briefing without getting interrupted by a sighting, but no one on board was complaining!