Stanford in Southeast Alaska

August, 2008: Southeast Alaska

i am finally getting pictures from the summer and fall sorted and put up. Unsurprisingly, Stanford travels Southeast Alaska in true Stanford style, on a small, very classy, adventure-focused cruise; i am still not sure that i believe that i got to be part of it. Arriving in Juneau, i hung out with Laura Baker for an evening and witnessed the tail end of the legislature's special session chaos before boarding the National Geographic Sea Bird for a ten day cruise with twenty or so Stanford Alumni families. As much as i have expressed disdain for cruises and cruise passengers, a small expedition cruise is by far the way to go and an incredible way to visit areas of the region that otherwise would be totally inaccessible on my limited budget. Each morning we found ourselves sailing into an amazing new bay or pocket of water, going places that big ships would never dream but would require some serious kayaking to visit as an individual traveler. Even more amazing was the weather, which was unbelievable the entire time we were there, a huge shift from the cold drizzle that had been plaguing the state the entire summer. We saw whales bubble net feeding, brown bears playing on the beach, and sea lions swimming after our boats on multiple occasions. Leave it to Stanford to somehow get a perfect trip. The families on board were a ton of fun and i enjoyed lots of Uno games with the younger kids and hanging out with my teens as they tried to act cool despite being on a family vacation. Fun times and an amazing way to finish out the summer. As Darcy reminds me: There are eagles... you just have to look up.

Some solo time kayaking in Williams Cove.

Morning cruise into Thomas Bay with the Patterson Glacier in the distance.

A ten-foot tall devil's club catches the light on a rainforest hike at Cascade Creek.

Our day in Petersburg was one of the first sunny days the town had seen all summer. i got to go on an much needed run along the muskeg trail and out to the airport, before wandering around town and enjoying a day off the ship.

Our morning in Glacier Bay National Park started out with fog so thick we could barely see the back of the boat from the front. It burned off mid-morning, however, to reveal one of the most spectacular days i have ever witnessed in Southeast. The landscape here is unreal. Andrew points out the Fairweather Range in the distance.

Looking down the fjord toward the Johns Hopkins Glacier.

The Johns Hopkins up close and personal. So amazing.

Apparently, i am obsessed with this mountain and glacier. i think i took about fifty pictures of it and made Andrew take about twenty on his camera as well.

On our final full day, we were incredibly lucky to witness a group of humpbacks bubble net feeding in Chatham Straight. They were surfacing right off the boat with their huge gaping mouths wide open as they gulped down as many fish as they could. Dropping the hydrophone, we listened to them communicate as they fished. Making a ton of noise as they coordinated their actions, they trapped whole schools of fish in a net of bubbles against the surface of the water. Then, as their singing fell eerily silent, they would all surface as one group, thirteen mouths lunging up in unison.

A sea otter near the Inian Islands.

A kittiwake in Glacier Bay. Birders, please correct me if i am wrong on this one.

The Stanford team, all residents of cabin 112, a roughly 10 ft by 10 ft space including the "showilet."

Branding, branding, branding. Have got to get the Stanford banner in there. Great trip, great people, amazing scenery. All told, i think it might qualify as another incredible boondoggle.