From our quiet overnight anchorage, the National Geographic Sea Lion glided a short distance toward the terminal moraine at the mouth of Le Conte Bay. The southernmost tidewater glacier in North America – Le Conte – spills from the Stikine ice field and calves into the ocean, creating icebergs that make their way about 10 miles down a narrow, twisting fjord, only to get stuck on the shallow moraine deposits. This morning guests had the opportunity to cruise around the spectacular blue and white bergs in our inflatable crafts. The weather was pleasant and we had wonderful scenery for photographs.
Without exception all on board were mesmerized by the beauty of the ice formations. We could imagine different animal shapes in every piece of ice. Some of the icebergs had been left high and dry by the outgoing tide, and being able to see these behemoths of frozen water was an added treat. An occasional harbor seal poked its bowling ball head above the surface. We also observed marbled murrelets, pigeon guillemots, great blue herons, various gull species, and two eagles on top of an iceberg.
Back onboard, we headed for our last destination on this voyage, Juneau. Guests were already packing for the trip home when the cry came that many whales were visible ahead of us. When we reached the bow and searched the horizon for signs of whales, the word “many” began to take on new meaning. In every direction we saw spouts and flukes and an array of whale behaviors that had us gasping for breath. Then, as if the numbers of whales were not enough, a young calf started breaching. Over and over again the calf sprung from the water, many times coming completely out of the sea. Not to be outdone by this youngster, other whales slapped their pectoral flippers or flukes on the water’s surface. Sometimes a whale would surface mere yards from our ship, catching us all by surprise. This went on for hours, and when it was finally time to head back inside our vessel, we felt the fatigue that the excitement had wrought upon us. What an impressive grand finale to our voyage.
Once inside, our captain said his farewell and we watched a presentation of images made by all of our fellow passengers. It was hard to imagine that only a week ago we were strangers. Now, we were joined by a journey that brought us not only to the wonders of Alaska but to an inner journey of discovery that none will forget. It was an amazing final day of our expedition!
