Very early morning National Geographic Sea Bird meandered through Gastineau Channel to the tune of Aurora Borealis—the Northern Lights. Approaching Juneau, we sailed through the night, enjoying the beautiful starscape above us.
Juneau welcomed us with open arms and beautiful weather. With a nearly unheard of 0% chance of precipitation, guests aboard the ship disembarked with sun on their faces. A tram sits at the bottom of the nearby mountains, awaiting guests for a ride up to the top. A short and beautiful ride took us up to the peak, where a visitor’s center and nature trails reside. Several short hikes offer different views of the mountain range, nearby mountain peaks, and panoramic points.
After the scenic tram ride back down to Juneau’s port, the guests boarded buses and took off to Mendenhall Glacier. The glacier used to be enormous—and has begun melting in relatively recent years. This landscape used to be covered in ice, the area which now houses the museum has only been exposed since 1950. This is important to note when surveying the landscape, as these plants have only had this small amount of time to establish a community on this barren rock. Many people chose to take the mile-long hike to an astounding waterfall, which seemed to endlessly gush off the nearest mountain’s slope.
Back aboard for the afternoon, lectures began and guests settled in for an afternoon of cruising. Just before Recap, however, an incredible humpback whale sighting got everyone up and on the bow. A mother and calf were playing with each other and with the water around them. Synchronized fin-slapping was followed by coordinated breaching, repeatedly smacking the water simultaneously. The mother laid on her back, double slapping the water while her calf nudged her with its nose. After this beautiful display of mother and child, among the beautiful scenery of Glacier Bay National Park, satisfied and happy guests followed down to the lounge for a Recap and delicious salmon appetizers. With a spectacular sunset outside Glacier Bay, guests sleepily crawled to bed, ready for another tomorrow.
