Up close and personal with glaciers and their offspring.
[part of a series of posts beginning here]
It’s hard to imagine the size of Greenland, or its ice cap. Even those glaciers that flow down to the sea, like the Thryms glacier below, are truly massive. (Notice our ship, the National Geographic Endurance, at lower left!) Read on for more about our outings among the ice, including video…
We spent most of our time in Greenland in the extensive fjord systems that shape its southern tip.
[part of a series of posts beginning here]
Although our route sometimes had the Endurance sailing offshore overnight south along the eastern coast, and sailing north along the western coast, most of our time in Greenland was spent in the extensive fjord systems that shape the southern tip of Greenland. In this landscape, a visitor can understand why the early Norse settlers named this land Grœnland (green land) when the Norse, led by Erik the Red, settled here in 982. Although these fjords have steep walls and deep waters, their shores and (rare) shallow glacial plains are covered in a green, grassy tundra sprinkled with heather, dwarf willow, dwarf birch, crowberries, blueberries, and a variety of wildflowers. Although “Iceland’s landscape is the world’s youngest and most dynamic, the rocks of Greenland are the oldest yet discovered on the planet.” [NatGeo] Read on for more…
Exciting encounters with whales, three evenings in a row.
[part of a series of posts beginning here]
Shortly after dinner on our first night aboard, as we cruised the Iceland coast toward its western peninsulas, the ship’s naturalists – always on the lookout – announced we had come upon a group of whales. It turned out to be a pod of minke whales and a bubble-feeding humpback whale. The ship paused as passengers enjoyed watching the humpback, right next to the ship, repeatedly blew a circle of bubbles, and then surfaced in the middle to swallow a massive gulp of fish that it had ‘trapped’ in the confused circle created by the bubbles. I stood on Deck 6 forward, capturing snaps of the smaller minke whales in between sightings of the humpback. Check out the gallery of my images, and watch a video, including some from the moment below captured by National Geographic photographer Nick Cobbins. Read on for more…
First in a series of posts about natural history experienced during our Greenland cruise.
[part of a series of posts beginning here]
One of the wonderful aspects of a National Geographic expedition is the opportunity to travel to remote places – places only accessible by ship, completely uninhabited – and to explore the tundra, fjords, and deep seas for some of the incredible wildlife that calls this wilderness its home. As part of our ten-day cruise from Iceland to the southern fjords of Greenland, we had ample opportunity to watch whales feeding, trek across treeless tundra, lock eyes with caribou, beachcomb remote shores, boat among the berglets that emerge from tidal glaciers, and even glimpse the aurora borealis. In the next several posts I’ll share a sample of each. Meanwhile, a special tidbit from the last night of the trip!
A ten-day cruise from Iceland to the southern coast of Greenland.
Recent trips to the Antarctic [South Georgia, 2023] and the Arctic [Finland, 2024] whet my appetite for exploring further in the polar regions, so I jumped at the chance to cruise southern Greenland in late summer. Indeed, because this cruise began and ended in Iceland, it gave me a chance to expand on my prior visit to Iceland [2024] to explore its southeast coast. Finally, this cruise was aboard the National Geographic Endurance, the same ship we’d sailed on our cruise of South Georgia and the Falklands in 2023, and which I found to be a terrific experience. Read on!
Never forget.
Earlier today, Japan recognized the 80th anniversary of the bombing of Hiroshima – a date one can never forget. When we visited Hiroshima in September, I was struck by the simplicity of the commemorative park’s design – and by the tremendous emotional power conveyed by that similarity.
Not my normal environment!
I was in San Francisco all week for a conference and some meetings. Today, I had a spare day to spend with my two sons. So, in the morning Andy and I had the chance to visit the famous Exploratorium science museum (on a pier where the city meets San Francisco Bay); in the afternoon John and I took a hike in the hills above San Carlos (further down the peninsula) overlooking the Bay.
Wildlife and Fourth of July holiday in South Carolina.
We spent a few days in Charleston SC around the Fourth of July holiday. It allowed me to enjoy time with family, swimming and boating on the Ashley River, dining in some excellent restaurants, and photographing wildlife.
A return visit to a beautiful place!
I was delighted to again have the opportunity to spend a week in Aspen, Colorado, at a small workshop hosted by the American Academy of Arts & Sciences (AAA&S) for leaders in higher education. It was a fascinating workshop, this year – as you might imagine, given the impact of federal actions may have on the future of higher education in this country – but in this blog I will focus on my outdoor activities while in Aspen. Read on!
Favorite photos and videos.
Wow, 2024 was quite the year. With a dozen or more hikes in New Hampshire, and travels to Finland, Estonia, Iceland, Switzerland, Japan, Korea, California, South Carolina, and India, I had many opportunities for photography. Check out some of my favorite photos!
