What a day! We had some more sunny weather and lovely adventures. While we slept last night, we cruised up Chatham Strait, waking upon sunrise the beautiful Icy Strait north of Chichagof Island. Our day started in the Fox Creek area, where small groups went ashore to explore the forest and the beach while others kayaked around Shaw Island. During lunch we moved north into Glacier Bay National Park, where we spent the afternoon exploring Dundas Bay on foot and by Zodiac. We had wonderful wildflowers, incredible wildlife tracks, and a number of sea otters in the bay!
7/18/2024
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National Geographic Quest
Freshwater Bay, Chichagof Island
This morning before breakfast, the bridge team of National Geographic Quest spotted orcas in Freshwater Bay. Eager to see this iconic whale species, the bow was quickly occupied by excited guests, staff, and crew. We could not have asked for better conditions. A sunny, calm morning with at least a dozen orcas! Wow! After breakfast we went ashore at Kennel Creek on Chichagof Island and split into aerobic, moderate, and casual walking groups. After yesterday’s wet forest at Fox Creek, we welcomed the firm, dry ground of an old logging road. Along our walks there were abundant signs of brown bears. One of the two aerobic walks had fresh bear tracks on top of their footprints upon their return. In the afternoon cruising down Chatham Strait, we enjoyed time on deck soaking up the sun when an eagle-eye naturalist spotted a group of humpbacks ten miles away! As we approached, we could see that this was no small group, as twenty-three whales were bubble net feeding! This day will long be imprinted in our memories of wild Alaska.
