The morning found the National Geographic Quest in Peril Strait, a notorious location in Southeast Alaska for wildlife encounters and the day did not disappoint. Before guests even disembarked the vessel, we witnessed a brown bear exploring the low tide zone upon the shore. Disembarking, the guests explored the Tongass National Rainforest by foot, and by kayak – paddling into a waterfall fed lagoon with bald eagles soaring overhead. The afternoon held a talk by National Geographic legend Flip Nicklin, detailing his voyages in the Arctic. Not to be outdone, nature revealed its bounty once again, as we witnessed a mother bear walking the shoreline with two cubs upon the island.
8/1/2019
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National Geographic Venture
Baranof Island
After exploring the glaciers and open waters of the northern Inside Passage, we sailed south through the night and returned to the starting point of our journey, Baranof Island. This island, along with Admiralty to the east and Chichagof to the north, is home to one of the highest densities of brown bears in the world. To search for evidence of the bears as they begin their yearly salmon feast and continue our exploration of the temperate rainforest, we anchored in Kelp Bay to kayak and hike the shoreline throughout the morning. Later in the afternoon, we welcomed Dr. Andy Szabo of the Alaska Whale Foundation to learn more about ongoing research taking place in Alaska on the unique bubblenet feeding behavior we witnessed earlier in the trip. Only in Alaska can you experience the forest, salmon, bears, and whales all in one day.
