Misty Fjords, 6/18/2023, National Geographic Sea Bird
Aboard the
National Geographic Sea Bird
Alaska
For this special trip, we met our guests in Ketchikan and shortly headed for Misty Fjords National Monument. We were lucky enough to have this arm of Misty Fjords to ourselves and we took full advantage of it!
Kimberly A. Wood is a Hawaii based international marine researcher, photographer, filmmaker, boat captain and educator. Her research focus is often based in population distribution, diversity and habitat usage of cetacean species, however, she has al...
It was our last day aboard National Geographic Sea Bird , and it did not disappoint! Not once, but twice we saw killer whales as we made our way south, and that was after seeing a brown bear on the beach in the morning. The day was filled with wonderful wildlife, and we managed to kayak and Zodiac cruise through the stunning Misty Fjord.
We arrived early to the town of Wrangell, excited to get the activities underway for our morning ashore. The excursion options included a jet boat tour up the Stikine River, a visit to the Shake’s house (traditional Long House), and investigating petroglyphs on a local beach. We returned to National Geographic Sea Bird for a delicious lunch and then went out for the afternoon activities. The options included a visit to the town museum and a hike up Mt. Dewey. We had lovely weather for our wonderful day of exploring.
The misty Alaska landscape was no stranger to us this morning as we woke to anchor in Thomas Bay. Our expedition today took us on tours around more of the Tongass National Forests’ splendor. We embarked on trails to see the falls of Cascade Creek, which were immensely powerful, casting misty spray across the forest of Western hemlock and Sitka spruce. Everything in the forest was incredibly dense, with life in all areas of the over and understory. In the afternoon, we explored Ruth Island, this time bushwacking along a tributary to make our way up to a beaver-dammed pond. The sight was fantastical, set among the forest with reed grass, toads, passerines, and even dense clumps of sundew. Guests adventured with large smiles on their faces as we felt the presence of wild Alaska.
