The morning of our second day brought us to Haines, Alaska, a town rich in the history of the Tlingit group Chilkat. We toured Klukwan, where members of the Chilkat clan live, and we visited the cultural center to learn more about their history through beautiful cedar carvings, Tlingit songs, and a hooligan fish smokehouse. Floating down the Chilkat River showed us that the glacial-fed river is an ideal habitat for spawning salmon and nesting bald eagles. Guests had unique views of Haines mountain range and neighboring Glacier Bay National Park.
9/5/2024
Read
National Geographic Sea Bird
Glacier Bay National Park, Southeast Alaska
“Glacier Bay Day” is a naturalist’s delight, with its beautiful landscapes, plentiful wildlife, and the majesty of the wilderness. I spent much of the day on the bow, scouring my surroundings for creatures great and small with guests, staff, and crew alike. The day began with views of Lamplugh and Johns Hopkins Glaciers, the latter of which provided ample views of calving and harbor seals. As we continued our cruise through the bay, we were treated to glimpses of bald eagles, red throated loons, and harlequin ducks who flew in front of our bow. Terrestrial wildlife had their moment at Gloomy Knob, where well over a dozen mountain goats roamed the cliffside and four brown bears lumbered through the alluvial plains of the park. I considered the day’s highlight to be our evening cruise past South Marble Island. Tufted puffins, common murres, pelagic cormorants, and gulls of various clades took to the skies while sea otters, Steller sea lions, and a lone humpback whale provided an epic aquatic display.
