Guests awoke to a sparkling, calm morning in Endicott Arm. The water was like glass, reflecting the thousand-foot-plus walls of the fjord. Using small boats, we cruised the last four miles to the glacier. Sitting a half-mile away, we gazed at the blue ice, perking up at the cannon-shot sounds of calving and the fifty-foot splashes made by the falling ice. Harbor seals were scattered on the ice, now in their sensitive molting stage. This year’s seal pups are almost full grown and difficult to distinguish from their mothers at a distance. After lunch we cruised, scanning the shores for wildlife, enjoying the beauty of the thick green forest.
7/22/2024
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National Geographic Sea Lion
Sitka Sound
Early risers aboard National Geographic Sea Lion were treated to a stellar show of humpback whales this morning as we made our way south down the mountain-studded coast of Baranof Island. The long, lazy swell that lulled us to sleep overnight contrasted spectacularly with the fast breaches, tail slaps, and fluking displays that surrounded us as we rounded Cape Edgecumbe and entered Sitka Sound. Sea otters and fishing boats galore greeted us as we slipped into the calm waters of the sound, bound for Magoun Islands State Marine Park for an afternoon of Zodiac cruising and hiking. The hikers found ample evidence of recent bear presence in the form of fresh scat and tracks, but no bears were to be found. Most of us were quite relieved not to surprise a bear! The Zodiac cruisers were treated to gorgeous intertidal habitats littered with mussels, barnacles, sea stars, and clams. After warming up a bit at lunch, a record thirty-one brave souls jumped into the frigid waters for our polar plunge! As we arrived in Sitka this evening, we admired the snow-capped mountain tops normally shrouded in mist. Steller sea lions cavorting around the dock served as reminders of our adventures.
