What a fantastic day in Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve! This is truly a special place and today, aboard the National Geographic Sea Bird, we were able to experience stunning sights and observe fascinating wildlife behavior. Joining us for today’s expedition was Andrew Gertge, National Park Ranger as well as Liana Wallace and Bertha Franulovich, Alaskan Native Cultural Guides.
Our first stop was to South Marble Island where we got a close look at Steller sea lions on rocks, sea otters bobbing in the water, black oystercatchers on the shore, and tufted puffins flying by. As we traveled up the coast we got our first sight of a coastal brown bear foraging in the intertidal. We watched with hushed voices as the bear turned over large boulders in search of prey.
Near Gloomy Knob, a dolomite outcrop, we were in for a real treat—a mother bear foraging in the intertidal with her three cubs. They worked together, the mother bear turning over large boulders, and the cubs turning over smaller ones. They were so engrossed that they did not notice what we noticed—two male bears walking towards them from the other side of the beach! Soon, the bears smelled each other and the males advanced. The mother bear turned and rushed down the beach with her three cubs and together, they scrambled up a cliff to safety. With her cubs behind her, the mother bear looked down as the male bears stood their ground. All of us on board the National Geographic Sea Bird were so silent watching these interactions that we could actually hear the cubs calling to their mother! After some tense moments the two male bears began to forage in the intertidal and the female relaxed. She sat down and allowed her three cubs to nurse. The bears continued on their way up the cliff and we continued on our way north towards glaciers. But before saying farewell to Gloomy Knob we saw mountain goats climbing up and down the cliffs.
Bears, mountain goats, marine mammals, and countless seabirds—all before lunch!
We traveled north and soon were surrounded by evidence of past glaciation. Large, U-shaped valleys where glaciers used to sit loomed above us. What a treat to head to the Johns Hopkins Glacier, which was just opened to visitors last week. Chunks of ice floated past, some with harbor seals perched atop, resting peacefully.
As we traveled south back to Gustavus, our cultural interpreter, Bertha Franulovich shared stories from her heritage, the Tlingit people who lived in this area. Our visiting park ranger, Andrew Gertge, provided in-depth knowledge of the geology and wildlife of the area and at the end of the day inducted a dozen young explorers into the ranks of junior ranger!
As the sun lowered in the horizon, even our dinner was interrupted by yet one more amazing wildlife sighting—three orcas in the calm, clear water swimming along with us.
Today was a fantastic and memorable exploration into a truly beautiful place in Southeast Alaska.
