We started our day with a very early surprise announcement from our expedition leader that the Northern Lights had come out in the Alaskan night skies yet again! We admired the colorful sky at 3 AM, then went back to sleep for a few more hours to get enough rest for the busy day ahead.
After a stretch class and breakfast, we headed out on Zodiacs, kayaks, and stand-up paddleboards to explore Sawyer Glacier and the surrounding fjord. The strong meltwater streams from the nearby glacier made for an exciting kayak adventure as we got close to shore. Our Global Explorers got an opportunity to learn how to drive the Zodiacs, and then the bravest amongst us took part in the polar plunge.
We warmed back up on the ship with a hot lunch and warm showers before getting ready to go back out on the water for the afternoon. National Geographic Sea Bird repositioned closer to the face of South Sawyer Glacier. Thick ice flows in the water limited the ship’s movement, so we explored the fjord by Zodiac instead. We enjoyed views of large blue icebergs and harbor seals in the bright sunlight and appreciated the stunning scenery of surrounding mountains. Finally, after a long amazing day, we returned to the ship for a final recap, farewell dinner, and viewing of our trip’s slideshow.
