Capturing the Moment

   It has been a crazy week. I feel like our guests have experienced more exceptional wildlife encounters than most crew does working all season. Alaska is definitely providing for those willing to step out of their bubbles and hit the deck running.     This week started off with multiple sightings of black bears in the fjord leading up to Dawes Glacier. Then arctic terns and harbor seals lounging about on ice flows. We ran across orcas back out in Stephens Passage, who led us to more orcas that were predating on a dall's porpoise. Then we found the early season motherload of humpback whales with another pod of dall's porpoise. Then after birthday celebrations in front of a huge waterfall at Red Bluff Bay, we entered brown bear territory. Here we had a close encounter with two young bears on the beach at our landing spot! They trotted off into the woods and used our trail (really their trail), to stay well ahead of us until venturing off into the forest. We awok...

    Thoughts from an UnCruise Expedition Leader   I am back in Alaska! Most of the cruise ships are still locked down in ports around the world, but UnCruise ships are filled with guests and leading expedition cruises in Southeast Alaska. As Expedition Leader of the Safari Quest I am just wrapping up my first trip, and we capped off a wonderful week with the infamous polar plunge. I made sure to wait for the coldest water, with icebergs floating by, and a glacier in the distance for my first polar plunge back after missing the entire Alaska 2020 season thanks to the pandemic.    Now, have tested out the frigid, icy waters, I feel like we are officially back in business here in Alaska. It feels very good to be back.

  I did not see this adventure coming. The cruise ships (at least the little US flagged ones) are starting to run again up in Alaska, just in time for the summer season. I flew up in late May to meet the Safari Quest, a 22 passenger expedition ship that I have worked on since 2018 as an expedition leader. Due to some last minute schedule changes the vessel was dockside for the first week of my arrival. Not only did this mean that I could dust some of the rust off after missing the entire last season due to the pandemic closures, but I could catch up with my buddy Ben who has been living in Juneau full time.   This winter happened to be an epic snow event, dropping feet upon feet here in Juneau. The towering mountains that surround the town are still snow capped now in late May. But I was pretty surprised when Ben suggested we try some split boarding with skins up to some backcountry ski destinations. I told him I was working on various boat projects until around 5pm and he sai...