Today, our expedition took us to the stunningly charming town of Haines, where our guests embarked on an array of exciting activities that truly enriched our appreciation of Southeast Alaska. The options were plentiful, and our guests eagerly immersed themselves in the natural wonders and local community experiences that Haines had to offer. Our adventures included a captivating river rafting excursion down the magnificent Chilkat River, bike rides along the coastal forest, mountain hikes, fly fishing in local rivers running with salmon, and exploration of the town itself. Through all activities, guests were treated to exciting and memorable wildlife and wilderness memories to surely last a while.
Today’s activities were finalized with our evening’s cocktail hour aboard National Graphic Sea Bird, accompanied by our daily recaps from our naturalist team, delicious appetizers, and hand-crafted drinks and cocktails from our bar. Following our social hour is another fan favorite of the trip: crab night! Dungeons crab filled the dining tables for guests to enjoy a plentiful harvest of a local favorite, thanks to some incredible preparation from our crew on board.
Overall, the activities chosen by our guests in Haines truly added a tremendous amount of value to our expedition through Southeast Alaska. The river rafting, bike rides, mountain hikes, fishing, and community exploration all contributed to a holistic and immersive experience. Tomorrow, we eagerly await the adventures that await us as we explore the enchanting Inian Islands, where we hope to encounter even more captivating landscapes and wildlife that Alaska has to offer.
9/10/2024
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National Geographic Sea Lion
Pavlof Harbor
The day started with an exciting encounter. Before breakfast we observed a group of bubble-netting humpback whales. It was incredible to see them lunge and hear them breathing at the surface. This was coupled by a glorious pink sunrise. After breakfast we took Zodiac cruises searching for bears near Pavlof Harbor. Even though we did not find any (wildlife is always delightfully unexpected), the scenery was beautiful, and we watched many adorable harbor seals. After thinking the excitement of the day was done, we spotted a large group of whales from a distance. While approaching closer, we realized this group was also bubble-net feeding. Close to the shore, we observed these whales for hours. We even dropped the hydrophone to hear their haunting feeding call before they all lunged at the surface. It was one of the most incredible things any of us had ever witnessed. As if this wasn’t enough, at our sunset recap we got the call that there were killer whales around the ship. It was the most amazing ending to the most amazing day.