We awoke to the wild. If there is an hour too early to see orca whales, the National Geographic Sea Lion paid little attention to that, calling guests from their slumber to witness the black and white apex predators in the pre-breakfast hours. Cameras at the hip, the guests forewent their usual coffee rituals in order to capture these magnificent creatures in photographic memory.
Venturing to Pavlof Harbor, the guests were treated to a variety of options. Some took to a long bushwhacking hike around the picturesque lake, while others spent time exploring the water within a kayak amidst peeping Harbor Seals. Bird sightings included the red-breasted sapsucker woodpecker, as well as a few hermit thrush and barrows golden eye. Turning the lens to the macro blooming wild flowers and the larger scenic landscape, the guests enjoyed the bounty of imagery that the Alaskan landscape provides.
The afternoon was one of exploration. Cruising the waters in search of charismatic mega fauna, we struck gold finding a breaching humpback whale in the distance. It was a youth, perhaps misbehaving as its mother logged on the surface. Turning into Kasnyku Bay, we came upon a mighty waterfall. As magnificent as it was, its glory was stolen by the two brown bears hydrating themselves at its base. Such days are hard to measure, but as they end we rest with a full understanding of the impact of the natural world around us.
