On our first full day aboard National Geographic Quest, we awoke to sun and blue skies as we cruised into Tracy Arm-Fords Terror Wilderness Area. Many of us spent the morning watching for black bears and mountain goats from the bow until we arrived at our destination: South Sawyer Glacier. We hopped into Zodiacs and cruised up to the glacier front, watching massive icebergs calve as we listened to “white thunder” boom through the fjord. Some of us were even greeted by friendly Vikings delivering warm drinks to our Zodiacs. After a successful glacier day, we cruised out of Tracy Arm Fjord admiring the glacial scouring across the rocks and the turquoise waters of this magical place. Today was a great start to our voyage.
7/21/2024
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National Geographic Venture
Chichagof Island and the Inian Islands
We left Sitka last night under a low ceiling of clouds. At daybreak, the sun briefly punched through the clouds, illuminating the snowy peaks and calm waters of western Chichagof Island. The ship cruised into the lustrous scene and anchored in Lisianski Inlet. We dispersed to various beaches for different hikes, to experience the wilderness and introduce ourselves to the temperate rainforest and the Tongass National Forest. The tide was low, and many of the groups were able to admire sea stars and intertidal life in the landing zones. Following brunch, we made our way north to the Inian Islands. However, wind and fog prevented us from safely dropping Zodiacs for tours there. Our expedition leader pivoted, and we set course for a known humpback whale feeding area called Port Adolphus. Along the way, we were sidetracked by a small group of orcas! We pivoted again and tailed the whales at a respectful distance. After about an hour, we set course for the humpbacks, and we were rewarded with active groups of feeding, pectoral slapping, and occasionally breaching whales. The whale action didn’t end there — after dinner, we stopped for bubble-net feeding whales!
