We had an amazing encounter with these mammal-eating killer whales this past summer. While we were leaving our anchorage they were coming towards us in pursuit of some sort of prey, maybe harbor seals or maybe Harbor porpoises, we could see. But watching them hunt with wolf-like coordination was breathtaking.
For more information https://northwestnavigation.com/alaska_inside_passage/ on our Alaska trips…
Fords Terror is, hands-down, one of our favorite locations. We often anchor there in a bowl that is surrounded by 2000-3000 foot high sheer cliff walls with mature spruce and hemlock trees clinging to the seemingly soilless rock. It’s a place where the rain and waterfalls and icebergs create mystical scenes as ravens and eagles fly overhead. Our usual anchorage is amazing, but as always for us, there might be something more just around the corner. At Fords Terror that something more is just on the other side of a narrow constriction and some reversing tidal rapids.
On most trips, we take our guests through the narrows in the skiff. We plan to ride the current in before the tidal floodwater reaches it’s highest high for the day and becomes still before the current changes to an outgoing ebb. We typically spend a couple of hours skiffing around, looking at waterfalls, amazing geology, and sometimes even bears. Then, we’ve always come out on the ebbing current. Jeffrey had always wanted to take the David B into the back, and spend the night. He was curious to see and experience Fords Terror at both high tide and low tide and to see how the back of Fords Terror’s beauty changed over the course of a day. It was so magical that we did something we don’t often do, we decided to spend, not one night but two nights at anchor there. Below is a short time-lapse video of us going into Fords Terror. We hope you enjoy it.
The David B is a fantastic platform for photography, and some of our favorite cruises are our Photography Workshops in both Alaska and the San Juan Islands. As part of our Northwest Navigation Podcast, we interviewed photography instructor and nature photographer Matt Meisenheimer about what has shaped him as a photographer and some of his favorite photo adventures.
Matt will be leading our Alaska Fjords Photography Workshop this July – Trip #340. Be sure to check out our Schedule Page for dates, rates, availability, and discounts for this cruise and workshop.
Listen: Getting out with your images – Northwest Navigation Website
Listen: Getting our with your images – iTunes
Listen: Getting out with your images – Spotify
Listen: Getting out with your images – Google
About Matt: Matt is a Wisconsin based photographer. His artistry revolves around exploring the wilderness and constantly seeking new adventures. He strives to capture brief moments of dramatic light and weather. Matt loves the process of photography — from planning trips and scouting locations to taking the shots in-field, and post-processing the final image.
Scroll down to view some of Matt’s images:
This week’s episode of the Northwest Navigation podcast is all things bears. We have a lot of respect for bears. They are big scary creatures that have the potential to be dangerous, yet bears also inspire us through their natural abilities, and their beauty. As students of the wild, when we observe bears we not only learn about them, we learn about ourselves.
Dan Kirkwood from Pack Creek Bear Tours, sat down with us to share his insights into bear behavior, and what to expect when visiting places like Pack Creek.
Be sure to check out the trips we offer with Dan and Pack Creek Bear Tours.
Trip Number 334: Alaska’s Fjords with Pack Creek Bear Viewing
Dates: May 11-18, 2019
Boards: Petersburg
Disembarks: Juneau (Auke Bay)
Itinerary…
Trip Number 336: Adventures NW Photography Workshop – Alaska’s Fjords and Pack Creek Bear Viewing
Dates: May 31 – June 7, 2019
Boards: Auke Bay (Juneau)
Disembarks: Petersburg
Itinerary…
If you need a short four-minute vacay, the video below contains highlights from one of our 8-day Alaska cruises where we had, beautiful weather, great hikes, saw amazing wildlife, and we got to visit Dawes glacier on a day where we were treated to some breathtaking calving.
We’re taking reservations for 2019. Take 20% off on selected trips in Alaska through Feb 15, 2019. Join us – Special Deals on Cruises.
