Rise and Shine early! We heard people doing the “wellness walk” this morning at 6:45 AM outside our cabin – yay. Needless to say, we had opted not to participate, but ended up getting woken up by it anyway. We stumble down to breakfast at 7:30 Am (yes, we started that early today). Breakfast was pancakes, sausage, bacon, fruit, oatmeal and yogurt. We’ve enjoyed so far getting to know some others on the vessel at meal times, particularly there is a spread of people across the board from all over the US and even some international guests. It is fun to hear their stories. We dock at the Glacier Bay National Park entrance. E get off at 9:30 Am and stroll around the visitors center and see small exhibits about the wildlife and process that glaciers undergo. They have some artifacts, whale bones and stuffed animals to see and a nice gift shop. We then set out for a short ¾ mile guided loop through the forest in a group of about 15, keeping our eyes peeled for bears, porcupines, birds, and moose. We didn’t see any – I have a feeling that the human presence is much too strong to warrant close encounters here. We enjoy hearing about the flora and fauna of the temperate rain forest, although being raised in western WA, it felt odd to be on a guided hike in an ecosystem that had been my backyard.
We then head back and have the opportunity to wander around until we board the Endeavour again at 12:15 PM. After a fresh fish lunch, we continue raveling north, this time with the Glacier Bay National Park Ranger who will be accompanying us for the next two days. The National Park Ranger gives us a wildlife briefing and then we stop at Marble Island, a rock outcropping in the middle of the inlet with a whole harem of male sea lions, just hanging out. Sea birds are swarming along with a bald eagle and we see later some mt. Goats and an elk or caribou on the side of the fjord. Amazing!
We travel slowly north, steering past icebergs, and stop when we see three bears on the shore. The boat slows and turns so we can all see them, and then one bear starts to mount another and we literally watch two bears get it on for about fifteen minutes until we all get bored of waiting for them to be finished that the boat pulls out and continues on our way. We arrive to our destination by evening, the northen Tarr inlet, where Marjorie Glacier and the Grand Pacific Glacier meet the tidal waters. Marjorie is advancing at a rate of about 7 feet a day and we stand out on the deck to watch her calve chunks of ice into the sea, and then listen for the subsequent thunderous crack! The other glacier is retreating, and actually is black glacial ice due to all the dirt and debris it accumulated when it was formed that it is now leaving behind as it retreats.
The trip was not only memorable for the amount of animals we saw but also for the people and accommodations at the two camps where we stayed. Our first guide, BK, was a wealth of information about the animals, landscape and down to the plants and what they were used for. Everyday out was a learning experience with him. All the people at the camps were gracious and the food was excellent.
Our second camp in the Okavanga was just as good as the first as far as the staff, accommodations, food and animals. After our experience at the first camp we amazed that the high quality remained the same. Our guide, G, made sure we were able to enjoy every experience including a rush through the bush to witness a cheetah and an ensuing hunt that he heard over his radio.
In both camps there were enough guides out that if they saw something the other guides were informed which helped in seeing as much as possible. It was also nice that the concessions were large enough that we did not have vehicles following each other throughout the day.
Normally there is always something in a trip of this length that we think could be improved upon but this is the rare case where we cannot think of anything. From the time we left the States to when we returned it was one of the most hassle free vacations we took.
Perhaps emphasizing the use of the laundry facilities at the camps would be useful because of the luggage restrictions would be the only thing I can think of as an improvement to future clients.
Kenneth Dropek
2 days ago
Mary was so pleasant and professional. She made sure all of our questions were answered.