In 1897, Peter Buschman arrived upon Mitkof Island to form what would become one of the most scenic and venerable fishing towns in all of Alaska. National Geographic Quest arrived in the early morning fog to see all but the crow’s nests of local fishing boats poking out of the mire. Soon after breakfast, the dense moisture cleared and our guests set loose for a day full of muskeg walks, flightseeing tours above LeConte Glacier, and visits to the harbor to learn of the various styles with which the locals harvest the local marine bounty.
- Daily Expedition Reports
- 01 Sep 2022
Petersburg, 9/1/2022, National Geographic Quest
- Aboard the National Geographic Quest
- Alaska
Paul North, Undersea Specialist
Paul North is the founder of the educational nonprofit Meet the Ocean and host of its online podcast. As a polar diver with Lindblad Expeditions/National Geographic, he tours the remote underwater landscapes of Antarctica and other sub-zero destinati...
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Exploring Alaska's Coastal Wilderness
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9/6/2024
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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
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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!