National Geographic Sea Lion made her way back into Alaskan waters this morning. The glassy water offered reflections and sightings of a humpback whale to welcome us into spring on our northbound expedition. We made our way through the forest-covered granite walls of Rudyerd Bay. The clouds hugged the snowy mountaintops, with the sun offering sneaky peeks of the peaks. Known as the “Yosemite of the North,” Misty Fjords is a hard-to-reach pocket of wilderness, and no picture can capture its true beauty. We launched our Zodiacs and kayaks to explore and take it all in. Alaska has welcomed us back in her truest form of wonder.
4/26/2025
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National Geographic Sea Lion
Tracy Arm
After a soggy day in Petersburg, we were thrilled to find our day in Tracy Arm flooded with sunshine instead of raindrops. Winding through the labyrinthine fjord is always an adventure this time of year, and we prepared for a veritable wall of frozen icebergs. But the fjord was surprisingly clear until the final bend, where a thick layer of pan ice stopped us in our tracks. Undeterred, we boarded our Zodiacs, crept below the steep cliffs, and prodded into the pan ice perimeter as far as we dared. Several mountain goats watched us from above, and a couple of curious harbor seals followed in our wake, patiently waiting for the pan ice to melt so they can wiggle onto the massive bergs and pup their young. A handful of humpbacks escorted us north through Stephens Passage, along with some blissfully calm water and more of that rare Alaskan sunshine. We have a long sail ahead of us this evening as we motor more than 160 miles toward mystical Glacier Bay.
