Early morning finds National Geographic Quest in Bartlett Cove to pick up a distinguished guest, National Park Ranger Angie Pius, who will be joining us for the day as we explore Glacier Bay National Park. Glaciers are the focus for the first half of the day as we visit Lamplugh, Johns Hopkins, Margerie, and the Grand Pacific. The second half of the day finds us exploring Gloomy Knob for mountain goats, and South Marble Island for all animals marine. The tufted puffin was a highlight for many at South Marble Island, and a fitting end to our day.
- Daily Expedition Reports
- 21 Aug 2024
Glacier Bay, Southeast Alaska, 8/21/2024, National Geographic Quest
- Aboard the National Geographic Quest
- Alaska
Daniel Baldwin, Naturalist
An educator at heart, Dan finds great joy in helping others explore and connect with the world around them. He has taught marine sciences in the Florida Keys and on Catalina Island, science and math in international schools in Mexico, Costa Rica, and ...
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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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