This morning, we arrived to Gustavus, a small town at the entrance of the 3.3 million acres that make up Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve. We started with a pre-breakfast hike through the forest that surrounds the area. We then took off aboard National Geographic Venture to head up the fjords. Our destination today is Johns Hopkins Glacier. Roughly 65 miles from Gustavus, this entire fjord system was covered in ice just 350 years ago. We had a fantastic day spotting wildlife from the bow and observing the epic face of the tidewater glaciers.
- Daily Expedition Reports
- 31 Aug 2023
Glacier Bay National Park, 8/31/2023, National Geographic Venture
- Aboard the National Geographic Venture
- Alaska
Alex Joseph, Naturalist/Certified Photo Instructor
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.
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A nice morning that only got better and prettier and sunnier! Truly a gift to bring guests here to witness the scale and diversity of ice and wildlife. South Marble Island had so many tufted puffins, and a few unexpected horned puffins, with sea lions and humpback whales galore. During lunch, we cruised up towards Margerie Glacier to view the impressive glacier and look for Arctic terns. Afterwards, we went past Gloomy Knob and saw mountain goats, looked for wildlife at Russel Cut (saw an osprey!), and ended the day with a stunning colorful sunset with an abundance of whales!