Our first full day in Alaska presented us with the bounty of spring! Guests hiked along the Lake Eva Trail, which follows a salmon stream through hemlock and spruce forests on Baranoff Island. Along the trail, new vegetation, flowers, and berries were thriving in the temperate rainforest environment. Guests spotted fresh signs of active bears, bald eagles, banana slugs, waterfowl, salmon fry, and even a swan and beaver swimming in Lake Eva!
9/10/2024
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National Geographic Sea Lion
Pavlof Harbor
The day started with an exciting encounter. Before breakfast we observed a group of bubble-netting humpback whales. It was incredible to see them lunge and hear them breathing at the surface. This was coupled by a glorious pink sunrise. After breakfast we took Zodiac cruises searching for bears near Pavlof Harbor. Even though we did not find any (wildlife is always delightfully unexpected), the scenery was beautiful, and we watched many adorable harbor seals. After thinking the excitement of the day was done, we spotted a large group of whales from a distance. While approaching closer, we realized this group was also bubble-net feeding. Close to the shore, we observed these whales for hours. We even dropped the hydrophone to hear their haunting feeding call before they all lunged at the surface. It was one of the most incredible things any of us had ever witnessed. As if this wasn’t enough, at our sunset recap we got the call that there were killer whales around the ship. It was the most amazing ending to the most amazing day.