Inian Islands & Fox Creek, 8/14/2019, National Geographic Quest
Aboard the
National Geographic Quest
Alaska
Today was an epic day of discovery. We started out on Zodiacs to explore the Inian Islands: What came was a sensory overload of wildlife. From humpback whales to sea otters to Steller sea lions. In the afternoon, we landed on the beach of Fox Creek. We set off into the forest to explore a completely different world than from this morning.
Born and raised in Alabama, Alex's connection to nature took shape as a child living in a state park and then in his formative years spent in Gulf Shores, AL. Where white sandy beaches meet the pine forest of the Southeast.
The final day of our trip held an abundance of sunshine and scenic views for all to enjoy. National Geographic Quest dropped her anchor at the very northernmost point of Baranoff Island — called Nismeni Point — a spot that few expedition staff had visited previously. The landing had plenty of sea critters to investigate, and a muskeg awaited those willing to bushwhack through the dense spruce and hemlock forest. Blueberries and huckleberries offered a sweet treat to anyone with a keen eye and a rumbling stomach. With morning ops concluded, National Geographic Quest weighed anchor and headed for Sergius Narrows, a swift moving tidal passage that must be crossed at the right tide in order to reach Sitka. Just before she departed we were graced by the passing of killer whales, one of Alaska’s most beautiful and mysterious creatures.
We awoke to a wall of ice towering outside of the ship. Sometime in the night we anchored alongside the monumental Johns Hopkins Glacier. Along the base of the glacier, hundreds of harbor seals lounged on the rafts of ice, and stunning mountain views accompanied the impressive natural feature for which the park was named. After eating breakfast with a glacial blue backdrop, we pulled anchor and began our exploration of the park in earnest. We visited several more glaciers, including prime examples of tidewater, hanging, and beached varieties; we also observed large numbers of sea otters and surf scoters. After lunch we turned our focus to wildlife and were rewarded with views of mountain goats on Gloomy Knob, as well as a brown bear excavating a comfortable resting spot on the beach. Later we were treated to a surprise concert by one of our guests (award winning musician Jim Peterick). We wrapped up the day with a visit to South Marble Island where dozens of tufted puffins and large rafts of Steller sea lions gave excellent views.
Today we began our adventures by dropping anchor at one of our favorite locations in Southeast Alaska, the Inian Islands! We disembarked National Geographic Quest to hop into our Zodiacs to explore this wild archipelago. Later in the day we repositioned to an anchorage in Port Althorp, known as Salt Chuck Bay. We got the chance to explore by kayaking as well as hiking through the meadow in the bay and the lush rainforest. It was a fantastic day in Southeast Alaska!
