Our last day in Alaska started out with beautiful calm water cruising up Misty Fjord. The narrow passages provided an excellent vantage from the ship of the high granite walls that surround us. When we arrived at a small alcove, we dropped the Zodiacs and spent the morning cruising around looking for wildlife. After lunch, we pulled into a spot called Punchbowl Cove where a brave handful of guests opted for the polar plunge, a long time tradition of jumping into the icy Alaskan waters.
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.
