Take a course in good water and air; and in the eternal youth of Nature you may renew your own. Go quietly, alone; no harm will befall you.
John Muir
Sea Wolf Adventures
2007 Itinerary for Glacier Bay Adventure
Day 1: Board the MV Sea Wolf at Bartlett Cove. We will cruise up bay to Reid glacier, about a 6 hour journey filled with incredible vistas, wildlife on the beaches and acrobatic whales in the waters. Along the way we will learn about the natural history of Glacier Bay, some of the research projects that the park is conducting, and of course about the plentiful sea and wildlife. Lunch on the boat. Once we reach Reid Glacier we will have an introductory kayaking lesson and then it’s off paddling. We will cruise in front of the incredible wall of ice, then make a beach landing to go explore. Dinner aboard the Sea Wolf. Reid is our evening anchorage, watching the sunset over Glacier Bay.
Day 2: Breakfast at 8:00 am as the engines are started and we are off to Lamplough Glacier. Weather dependant we may anchor after about an hour up the bay for a nice climb up the mountain next to Lamplough for a bird's eye view of the top of a glacier. Once everyone is back on board we are to lunch with a view of John Hopkins Glacier. This is a spectacular inlet with 9 glaciers that are in different stages of decline or growth. Next we proceed to Tarr Inlet where the Grand Pacific and Marjorie Glaciers cascade into the water. Once here we will have a wonderful paddle along a sheer cliff with a kittiwake and puffin rookery and then out in front of Marjorie Glacier for a breathtaking experience as we watch an active calving glacier from a safe distance. After a leisurely paddle in the inlet we will return to the Sea Wolf for dinner and an evening of sharing stories. This is our evening anchorage.
Day 3: Breakfast at 8:00 am as the engines are started and we make our way to Tidal Inlet. Along the way we scan the beaches for wildlife, the waters for humpback whales, orcas, sea lions and the high cliffs above Gloomy Knob for mountain goats. Once we reach Tidal there is a beautiful paddle for those who wish past craggy bluffs and forested hillsides with both sides cascading with impressive shimmering waterfalls. Wolves and brown bears abound in this area and sometimes we stroll up the mountain to see them feeding in the streams. Then we are off to N. Sandy Cove, a very rich ecosystem full of black bears, moose, coyotes, and a plentiful marine environment. We kayak around the shores scanning for black bears and moose, then paddle over to Puffin Island for a truly wondrous look at a low tide vertical intertidal zone. As we kayak back to the Sea Wolf we look out over at a stunning view of the Fairweather Mountains. Dinner aboard the Sea Wolf and this is our evening anchorage.
Day 4: Breakfast at 8:00 am. We will head to the beach at Dundas where we can pick strawberries, learn about and taste native plants and revel in the glorious flower-strewn meadows. We also stroll the beach following the tracks of otters, bear, moose and wolves. Then back to the boat for a brief journey up Dundas Bay learning about the Native history and lore of this area. About halfway down the bay for those who wish to kayak it is a splendid leisurely paddle down to our evening anchorage enjoying the bird calls, puffing snorts of harbor porpoises, cries of the eagles and perhaps a glimpse of a black bear or maybe an elusive blue bear. Once we arrive we can take a skiff ride to the erratic boulder field of Dundas, a bay that has not been glaciated for close to 5,000 years. Otters, black bears, wolves and moose as well as hoary marmots graze these meadows and feed upon the intertidal dinner plate. Then we cross over a river for a brief foray through Sitka spruce and up a little ways on the mountainside to explore and learn about a mature muskeg. We will enjoy dinner aboard the Sea Wolf and listen for the mournful howls of our Dundas wolves at this beautiful anchorage.
Day 5: Continental breakfast for the early risers with a hot breakfast at 8:00 am. We will cruise around Taylor Bay or Fern Harbor area in the shadow of the Great Brady Ice Field and view a huge sea lion haul-out. Depending on the time of the year we can kayak around a spectacular outer coast island or up a river where we may see fishing bears. We will find a beautiful anchorage for our last night in Glacier Bay where we can hear the whales blowing, sea lions barking and myriads of waterfalls rushing.
Day 6: Continental breakfast for the early risers with a hot breakfast at 8:00 am then we are off to look for more spectacular humpback whales. Our day is spent watching whales and, weather permitting, kayaking with them. Around 2:00 pm we will head back to Gustavus where you will be picked up at the dock by TLC Taxi and taken to the airport or your lodging.
* These itineraries are subject to change based on park closures/openings, weather and travel conditions and wildlife movements. We should be able to see whales, bears, sea lions, eagles, wild flowers and soaring landscapes wherever we are but the anchorage may change dependant on the above. Other destinations may include Fingers Bay, Sundew Cove, the East Arm and the Beardslee Islands. Many times we are following wildlife as they move with their food source so we stay flexible in order to have the greatest viewing possibilities.
