Inian Islands & Fox Creek
As we awoke this morning, we were greeted by a heavy, dense fog. This did not deter our brave Zodiac riders from boarding the boats and heading out to visit the Steller’s sea lion colony on one of the nearby Inian Islands. Arriving in the general area of the island, the Zodiac drivers turned off their engines and listened and smelled to find the exact location of the haulout through the fog! We watched a few enormous males dominate the rocks of the haulout and the very vocal sea lions kept a constant din of noise coming over the water.
We saw numerous sea otters, bald eagles, pelagic cormorants, and a huge group of migrating Red-necked Phalaropes! These tiny birds feed by spinning in a circle in the water, creating a small upwelling underneath their bodies. They spend the majority of the winter in the open ocean, and make their way up to the Arctic tundra in the summertime to nest. We continued to cruise along and were even greeted by many juvenile bald eagles, perfectly camouflaged in the trees of the Tongass. By the time the second group of Zodiacs was returning the ship, the fog was burning off and we were greeted with yet another day of blue sky and sunshine.
During lunch, humpback whales arrived on the scene and escorted us into Idaho Inlet. Once at our anchorage, they continued to feed off in the distance. Our afternoon was jam-packed! Our intrepid hikers joined Harold and Vicky for a hike up along Fox Creek, through the forest, and eventually into the muskeg. There were many signs of brown bear along the way and the group had a fabulous time comparing their footprints to that of the bear. Other groups opted for shorter walks, focused more on plant identification and forest ecosystems. A third group kayaked around Shaw Island, which afforded a great look at kelp forests, white-plumed anemones, and juvenile fish, which were incredibly numerous around the perimeter of the island.
Our groups switched places so that each group would have an opportunity to participate in the activities and still the weather held!
The culmination of the day came when our Bosun conducted an impromptu Zodiac driving course for our “under-18” guests aboard. These budding mariners all took a turn at operating a Zodiac and driving around the ship. Even when making radio contact with the bridge, they were professional and competent in every way.
We pulled up our anchor and began to sail east along Icy Strait, toward Pt. Adolphus. As another day drew to a close, we relaxed and enjoyed another Southeast Alaska sunset from the decks of the National Geographic Sea Lion.
As we awoke this morning, we were greeted by a heavy, dense fog. This did not deter our brave Zodiac riders from boarding the boats and heading out to visit the Steller’s sea lion colony on one of the nearby Inian Islands. Arriving in the general area of the island, the Zodiac drivers turned off their engines and listened and smelled to find the exact location of the haulout through the fog! We watched a few enormous males dominate the rocks of the haulout and the very vocal sea lions kept a constant din of noise coming over the water.
We saw numerous sea otters, bald eagles, pelagic cormorants, and a huge group of migrating Red-necked Phalaropes! These tiny birds feed by spinning in a circle in the water, creating a small upwelling underneath their bodies. They spend the majority of the winter in the open ocean, and make their way up to the Arctic tundra in the summertime to nest. We continued to cruise along and were even greeted by many juvenile bald eagles, perfectly camouflaged in the trees of the Tongass. By the time the second group of Zodiacs was returning the ship, the fog was burning off and we were greeted with yet another day of blue sky and sunshine.
During lunch, humpback whales arrived on the scene and escorted us into Idaho Inlet. Once at our anchorage, they continued to feed off in the distance. Our afternoon was jam-packed! Our intrepid hikers joined Harold and Vicky for a hike up along Fox Creek, through the forest, and eventually into the muskeg. There were many signs of brown bear along the way and the group had a fabulous time comparing their footprints to that of the bear. Other groups opted for shorter walks, focused more on plant identification and forest ecosystems. A third group kayaked around Shaw Island, which afforded a great look at kelp forests, white-plumed anemones, and juvenile fish, which were incredibly numerous around the perimeter of the island.
Our groups switched places so that each group would have an opportunity to participate in the activities and still the weather held!
The culmination of the day came when our Bosun conducted an impromptu Zodiac driving course for our “under-18” guests aboard. These budding mariners all took a turn at operating a Zodiac and driving around the ship. Even when making radio contact with the bridge, they were professional and competent in every way.
We pulled up our anchor and began to sail east along Icy Strait, toward Pt. Adolphus. As another day drew to a close, we relaxed and enjoyed another Southeast Alaska sunset from the decks of the National Geographic Sea Lion.
