Exploration day

Our first full cruise day had no set itinerary. We woke up to an announcement that there were bears visible on the shore! We anchored in Pavlov's Cove and got to spend the morning exploring via kayaks, SUPs, and zodiac boat. We signed up for the first kayak departure and paddled to the point where a river met the cove. There were 5 bears there! It was a mom and her 3 cubs as well as another perhaps adolescent bear. They were all ABC Brown bears, a subset of brown bears only found on Admirality, Baranof, and Chichagof islands. I was kicking myself for only bringing the waterproof camera! We hung out there just watching them hang out at the bottom of the falls and look for salmon for at least 20 mins! A couple we talked to at dinner later, who are in their late 70s and have been to Alaska more times than they can count, said it was the best bear watching they've ever had!

We also went out on the SUP after returning from kayaking. I wasn't making much forward progress with the wind, so I gave up quickly, but Keanan made it pretty far and laid down for a nap in the cove. We also jumped on the last zodiac excursion where I brought my big camera, but unfortunately, the bears were no longer hanging around.

In the afternoon, we started making our way to Glacier Bay. Since you only get a permit for a specific day, they try to make the most of it by crossing into the park just after midnight and driving to the end overnight so we can work our way back slowly during the day. The path to get there took us through Icy Strait, which is known for its high concentration of whales. We hadn't been in the strait long before we saw a group of humpbacks breaching in the distance! Their activity shifted to mostly blow hole spouts as we got closer.

While we were eating dinner, the captain came in to announce that a pod of ~30 orcas was in front of our boat! We ran up to the deck and saw lots of spouts and some dorsal fins!

There's a chance for northern lights tonight, so we signed up to be woken up if they make an appearance! Fingers crossed!Baca lagi