Glacier Bay National Park
The wake up call this morning was at 6:30 am to get an early start, for our destination of Glacier Bay National Park. This area was declared a national monument in 1925. The National Geographic Sea Lion picked up park ranger Helen Fields at Bartlett Cove to join us on board all day.
Our first stop was South Marble Island, where we were greeted by mounds of barking Steller's sea lions and a plethora of birds including kittiwake gulls, glaucous-winged gulls, pigeon guillemots, tufted puffins, common murres and oystercatchers.
Helen brought literature, visual references and maps for our day of scenic and wildlife exploration. In the lounge, she shared her experiences as a seasonal ranger, which is from mid-April to September.
By mid-morning, we spotted some mountain goats in the distance, and a brown bear. Shortly after lunch, we approached Johns Hopkins Glacier, unlike many that have been retreating, it is actually advancing. Here we found harbor seals among this great Glacier. We had a sighting of a lone orca, as well as bald eagles and sea otters upon leaving the inlet.
This evening's recap, Sarah Culler presented the preview of the video chronicle highlighting the first 2-1/2 days of our voyage. Before heading to our evening dining, Helen pledged and presented badges to everyone for the perseverance and braving the elements on deck!
We docked at Bartlett Cove after dinner, where we had a chance to stretch our legs and visit the lodge. Several walks were also offered by our naturalists before all aboard at 10:30pm.
The wake up call this morning was at 6:30 am to get an early start, for our destination of Glacier Bay National Park. This area was declared a national monument in 1925. The National Geographic Sea Lion picked up park ranger Helen Fields at Bartlett Cove to join us on board all day.
Our first stop was South Marble Island, where we were greeted by mounds of barking Steller's sea lions and a plethora of birds including kittiwake gulls, glaucous-winged gulls, pigeon guillemots, tufted puffins, common murres and oystercatchers.
Helen brought literature, visual references and maps for our day of scenic and wildlife exploration. In the lounge, she shared her experiences as a seasonal ranger, which is from mid-April to September.
By mid-morning, we spotted some mountain goats in the distance, and a brown bear. Shortly after lunch, we approached Johns Hopkins Glacier, unlike many that have been retreating, it is actually advancing. Here we found harbor seals among this great Glacier. We had a sighting of a lone orca, as well as bald eagles and sea otters upon leaving the inlet.
This evening's recap, Sarah Culler presented the preview of the video chronicle highlighting the first 2-1/2 days of our voyage. Before heading to our evening dining, Helen pledged and presented badges to everyone for the perseverance and braving the elements on deck!
We docked at Bartlett Cove after dinner, where we had a chance to stretch our legs and visit the lodge. Several walks were also offered by our naturalists before all aboard at 10:30pm.
