In the morning, National Geographic Quest pulled into Hanus Bay – the location of the pristine trail to Lake Eva. Guests set ashore to take to the trail, discovering the flora of the temperate rainforest. River otters and woodpeckers were spotted, along with a multitude of moss and lichen species. Other activities included photo walks and kayaking in a tidal lagoon as eagles flew overhead. Before we could even pull anchor, we were treated to a humpback whale breaching in solitude and glory, but it was the afternoon that provided the gem of the day. A pod of killer whales were spotted, and our navigation team placed them parallel to the ship in perfect light, allowing for as many photo opportunities, and joyful exclamations as an afternoon could hold.
8/1/2019
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National Geographic Venture
Baranof Island
After exploring the glaciers and open waters of the northern Inside Passage, we sailed south through the night and returned to the starting point of our journey, Baranof Island. This island, along with Admiralty to the east and Chichagof to the north, is home to one of the highest densities of brown bears in the world. To search for evidence of the bears as they begin their yearly salmon feast and continue our exploration of the temperate rainforest, we anchored in Kelp Bay to kayak and hike the shoreline throughout the morning. Later in the afternoon, we welcomed Dr. Andy Szabo of the Alaska Whale Foundation to learn more about ongoing research taking place in Alaska on the unique bubblenet feeding behavior we witnessed earlier in the trip. Only in Alaska can you experience the forest, salmon, bears, and whales all in one day.
