Bright sunlight and a clear blue sky greeted us this morning on the National Geographic Sea Lion. We cruised up into the narrow and grandiose fjord called Endicott Arm, on the southeast Alaskan mainland. This deep channel was carved by glacial action during the last ice age and its rocks are still polished and barren, thousands of years later. After a hearty breakfast, we slid into our bright yellow kayaks and paddled around in Dawes Cove, examining small icebergs and enjoying the warm weather. After everyone returned to the ship, more than a dozen people were brave enough to do the Polar Plunge! One by one, they jumped into the 38 degree (F) seawater, then clambered quickly into a waiting expedition landing crafts, sputtering and laughing. Then we all followed the wonderful smell of the taco bar into the dining hall for lunch.
The National Geographic Sea Lion pushed almost all the way to the head of Endicott Arm, where Dawes Glacier awaited us. In two rounds, we loaded into our expedition landing crafts and dodged thousands of ice chunks floating in the water-- called “bergy bits” and “growlers,” depending on their size—as we moved closer to the face of the Glacier. Dawes Glacier is 250 feet high where it meets the sea. Although the Sun still shone brightly, there was a chilly wind blowing toward us from the glacier. Harbor seals popped up here and there, to give us curious looks. We also had glimpses of harbor porpoises around our boat. But we were there to see the glacier and calving ice. We were not disappointed. Massive towers of ice came crashing down into the water several times and it was truly awesome! We were at a safe distance from the glacier, but we could feel the power of the events as the waves generated by the calving ice reached us. Wow!
Cocktails were served on the Bridge Deck as the National Geographic Sea Lion got underway in the evening. We enjoyed the grandiose scenery and then went to the Forward Lounge to watch the guest photo slideshow. What great memories we made this week… whales, wolves, bears, otters, glaciers, the rainforest… and of course, good company!
