We woke up to clear skies and crisp air surround by amazing scenery.
The ship picked up a National Park Ranger in Bartlett Cove and slowly made it’s way up Glacier Bay to Margerie Glacier where we paused for 30 minutes with the port side facing the glacier then turned and spent another 30 with starboard side facing. Many decks were open to the bow for viewing and the ranger shared commentary including hints for wildlife spotting. We spent time in several locations and even got our National Park Passport books stamped! It stayed sunny all day and warmed up quite a bit!
We saw lots of sea otters and enjoyed watching the gull antics from our verandah as they swooped along the side of the ship looking for room service buffets. On the way back down the bay we caught a glimpse of Lamplugh Glacier. It was a spectacular day!
The ranger gave a presentation on the history of research into the importance of apex predators – those at the top of the food chain. It was long thought that apex predators could be eliminated with no great impact on the ecosystem. Nope. As we’ve seen with wolves and many other species, they all have a role to play in the ecosystem. Our Stellar Starfish friends from Ketchikan were a surprising example.
A member of the Tlinglit tribe, Fred, shared tribal history and songs. There are almost as many tribes in Alaska as in the entire lower 48 or “lower four dozen” as dubbed by Fred.
We were so lucky to have great weather for this very special day!
