As is often the case on a journey to new lands, National Geographic Sea Lion found it necessary to check into the first available port inside Canadian waters. Visiting Prince Rupert in the wee hours of the morning, our guests set to shore to show their smiles to the customs agents, checking into the second half of our journey toward Seattle. Most admit that leaving Alaska is a difficult decision, but what lies ahead is full of the mystery and expansive culture that the Northwest abounds in. Aiming at the rarely visited archipelago of Haida Gwaii, we venture on toward new experiences.
But of course, before the day was over we found ourselves a little slice of nature in Klewnuggit Inlet. Visiting the deeply tucked bays, we came upon harbor seals in numbers too large to count, as well as bald eagles, herring gulls, and belted kingfishers. Upon the shore our guests played amongst the spruce and cedars, weaving in and out of the forest while the dive team aboard broke the water line in order to find what was down below. Finishing strong, the braver amongst us suited up in order to participate in the polar plunge—diving into the newly visited waters with vim and vigor and exited at quadruple the speed with which they entered. We are ready for what is next, and Haida Gwaii is the gem that is waiting for us in the waters of the Pacific Northwest.
