On this blue-sky day cruising through Glacier Bay National Park, stunning scenes were all around us. Recent snow covered the high and jagged peaks, wildlife sightings were frequent and varied, the cool air was invigorating, the Margerie and Johns Hopkins Glaciers (in addition to others along the way) were spectacular, and all while the sun sparkled against the calm, glassy sea below us. Rafts of sea otters, some with a pup in tow, stellar sea lions, humpback whales, tufted puffins, a wolf, harbor seals, harbor porpoise, yellow-billed loons, mountain goats, bald eagles, marbled murrelets, and black-legged kittiwakes were some of the day’s many sightings.
- Daily Expedition Reports
- 21 May 2024
Glacier Bay National Park, Southeast Alaska, 5/21/2024, National Geographic Quest
- Aboard the National Geographic Quest
- Alaska
Share Report
Exploring Alaska's Coastal Wilderness
VIEW ITINERARYRelated Reports
9/6/2024
Read
National Geographic Quest
Glacier Bay National Park
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.
9/5/2024
Read
National Geographic Quest
Inian Islands and Salt Chuck Bay
Today we began our adventures by dropping anchor at one of our favorite locations in Southeast Alaska, the Inian Islands! We disembarked National Geographic Quest to hop into our Zodiacs to explore this wild archipelago. Later in the day we repositioned to an anchorage in Port Althorp, known as Salt Chuck Bay. We got the chance to explore by kayaking as well as hiking through the meadow in the bay and the lush rainforest. It was a fantastic day in Southeast Alaska!