The final day of our photo expedition was overcast and dry – a photographer’s dream. National Geographic Sea Lion entered Endicott Arm and a few early risers were on the deck to see a black bear in the intertidal zone. There are many morsels at low tide for bears to add to their omnivorous diet, including barnacles. They will eat whatever is available and Southeast Alaska has much to offer them.
We made our way to the head of Endicott Arm where further passage is blocked by the immense Dawes Glacier, which tumbles to the sea from the Stikine Icefield. Many hues of blue peeked out between aerated white ice.
Precipitous walls of rock soared skyward; snow and ice-fed streams cascaded to sea level. U-shaped valleys and rounded topography are evidence of a past ice age, when there were a few thousand feet of ice covering the landscape. Mother seals and their young pups basked on the icebergs, safe from bears, wolves and killer whales. Arctic terns twittered about in a small flock, resting on the low icebergs.
We cruised toward the glacier face in our expedition landing crafts, keeping a safe distance in case of calving ice. Suddenly a great tower of ice let loose and crashed into the water, creating a huge splash and tremendous thundering sound. Later a giant piece of ice broke off the underwater part of the glacier and dramatically surged to the surface. Smooth-patterned and deep blue, it soon became an attractive perch for a variety of gull species.
National Geographic photographer, Michael Melford, scarcely concluded his “On Assignment with National Geographic” presentation when we were called out on the decks to watch brown bears on the shore. One young, exuberant bear expended a lot of energy chasing ducks and geese, to no avail. A more tranquil bear, meandering and grazing in the next meadow, presented the ideal opportunity to safely watch and photograph a wild animal without disturbing it.
Jason gave an entertaining history of inflatable expedition landing crafts to lead us to our next wildlife sighting: bow-riding Dall’s porpoises! These fastest of cetaceans darted back and forth ahead of our vessel, surfacing for quick breaths with a characteristic “rooster tail” splash.
The guest slide show, presented and enjoyed by everyone during the cocktail hour, was the aggregation and culmination of some of the finest photographs of the voyage. A few final words were said by expedition leader, Lisa, and Captain Nettles before our farewell dinner.
Humpback whales were the closing presentation as the light faded – a mellow, graceful and peaceful water ballet.
Many photo opportunities and experiences during this voyage created indelible lifetime images, memories and friendships. Where will we travel next?
