After a misty evening sail away from Juneau, we woke to clear skies in Tracy Arm – Ford’s Terror Wilderness, offering spectacular views of even the tallest snow-capped peaks within the wilderness. The Wilderness Act of 1964 defines a designated wilderness area as a place “where man remains but a visitor.” On today’s exploration of the raw and dynamic nature of the waterfall-adorned fiord landscape of Tracy Arm with an up-close Zodiac visit to Sawyer Glacier, we truly felt like visitors to this wild place. What a wonderful welcome to Southeast Alaska for this week’s expedition!
8/1/2019
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National Geographic Venture
Baranof Island
After exploring the glaciers and open waters of the northern Inside Passage, we sailed south through the night and returned to the starting point of our journey, Baranof Island. This island, along with Admiralty to the east and Chichagof to the north, is home to one of the highest densities of brown bears in the world. To search for evidence of the bears as they begin their yearly salmon feast and continue our exploration of the temperate rainforest, we anchored in Kelp Bay to kayak and hike the shoreline throughout the morning. Later in the afternoon, we welcomed Dr. Andy Szabo of the Alaska Whale Foundation to learn more about ongoing research taking place in Alaska on the unique bubblenet feeding behavior we witnessed earlier in the trip. Only in Alaska can you experience the forest, salmon, bears, and whales all in one day.
