We began the day bright and early by pulling up to the docks of Bartlett Cove at 6:45 a.m. Shortly thereafter, our feet hit solid ground. Guests had various hikes to choose from, including an aerobic option and a casual stroll. We were all back aboard National Geographic Venture by 9:00 a.m. and heading toward Johns Hopkins Glacier with stops in between. We saw two brown bears, mountain goats, countless sea otters, and tufted puffins along the way. The glacier itself was stunning; we were able to spend nearly an hour at the toe, amongst the harbor seals hauled out on icebergs.
- Daily Expedition Reports
- 07 Aug 2023
Glacier Bay National Park, 8/7/2023, National Geographic Venture
- Aboard the National Geographic Venture
- Alaska
Claire Dal Nogare, Naturalist
Claire is a proud Alaskan transplant. It was the hardiness of these frontiersmen that motivated her to become a pilot and commercial fisherman. When not in Alaska, she generally follows the Arctic tern's migration route from one polar region to anoth...
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We awoke to a wall of ice towering outside of the ship. Sometime in the night we anchored alongside the monumental Johns Hopkins Glacier. Along the base of the glacier, hundreds of harbor seals lounged on the rafts of ice, and stunning mountain views accompanied the impressive natural feature for which the park was named. After eating breakfast with a glacial blue backdrop, we pulled anchor and began our exploration of the park in earnest. We visited several more glaciers, including prime examples of tidewater, hanging, and beached varieties; we also observed large numbers of sea otters and surf scoters. After lunch we turned our focus to wildlife and were rewarded with views of mountain goats on Gloomy Knob, as well as a brown bear excavating a comfortable resting spot on the beach. Later we were treated to a surprise concert by one of our guests (award winning musician Jim Peterick). We wrapped up the day with a visit to South Marble Island where dozens of tufted puffins and large rafts of Steller sea lions gave excellent views.
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