They say you need “fair weather” to see the Fairweather mountain range in Glacier Bay, and we got better than that with almost clear blue skies and mountains peeking out through a thin layer of clouds. We started our exploration of the Glacier Bay National Park at Johns Hopkins Glacier seeing the immensity of the landscape from sea level up to the 15,300 feet peak of Mount Fairweather. Then it was onto Margerie Glacier where the little ice floes sparkled in the morning sun. However, the real treat was yet to come. As we traversed through Russell Cut, a lone gray wolf sat patiently on the shore of Russell Island as everyone got photos. On the opposite shore, a female coastal brown bear and its cub was spotted so we went to safely investigate while they meandered along the shoreline. After lunch we slowly drifted by South Marble Island, hearing the grunts of Steller sea lions and watching the tufted puffins fly in and out. To finish the day, we moored at Bartlett Cove and stretched our legs with some hiking into the forest admiring the porcupines!
- Daily Expedition Reports
- 16 Aug 2021
Glacier Bay National Park, South Marble Island, Bartlett Cove, Russell Island, 8/16/2021, National Geographic Quest
- Aboard the National Geographic Quest
- Alaska
Sue Forbes, Naturalist/Certified Photo Instructor
Sue has been creating wildlife, landscape, and travel photos for over 30 years, traveling to over 100 countries on all seven continents. She has combined this passion with an unusual career that includes being an Engineer Officer with the Royal Air F...
Read MoreSteve Ewing, Videographer
Born and raised in the Pacific Northwest, Steve fell in love with the beauty of the natural world at an early age. In addition to nature, his other main passion was telling stories though the medium of television and radio. Steve studied broadcast jo...
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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!