Bears galore! Upon arrival in the middle fork of Kelp Bay, we spotted two brown bears (mother and cub) walking in a salmon stream looking for a meal. From then on, it was hard to count just how many bears we saw on the beautiful stretch of beach at low tide. Some hikers chose to bushwhack their way through the forest. while others enjoyed viewing the active fishing upon the salmon stream. In the afternoon, we set sail into Chatham Strait where we were treated to some great humpback whale sightings. Another memorable day in Southeast Alaska!
- Daily Expedition Reports
- 10 Aug 2021
Kelp Bay and Chatham Strait, 8/10/2021, National Geographic Quest
- Aboard the National Geographic Quest
- Alaska
Katie Mills-Orcutt, Undersea Specialist
Katie Mo started her career as a naturalist on Catalina Island where she taught marine science outdoor education and SCUBA diving. Her passion for conservation biology then led her to pursue a Masters degree in marine science at Western Washington Un...
Read MoreShare Report
Exploring Alaska's Coastal Wilderness
VIEW ITINERARYRelated Reports
9/6/2024
Read
National Geographic Quest
Glacier Bay National Park
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.
9/5/2024
Read
National Geographic Quest
Inian Islands and Salt Chuck Bay
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!