George Island, the Inian Islands & Pt. Adolphus
Morning mists and bands of fog hovered near the sea surface at the edge of the continent, adding a dimension of mystery to George Island, a small bit of land that once was home to a garrison of men that guarded Cross Sound during World War II. Cross Sound and nearby Cape Spencer mark the strategic northern entrance into the Inside Passage.
Whether climbing the hills to check out the old Navy pedestal gun or rambling about the woods and the beaches, our explorations of George Island were filled with wonders. Near the end of our walks, our Expedition Leader, Lisa, offered us an opportunity to….swing! Back in the trees, overlooking one of the inlets, someone has constructed a beautiful swing of strong ropes and sturdy boards. All ages were tickled by this unexpected moment of moving freely through space and time.
Life bubbles up out of every rocky crevice at the outer coast. Swift tidal currents squeeze past islets, into the inlets, around the rocks and through narrow channels. Nutrients are swirled up from the bottom, dispersed through the briny water and caught by plankton. Small fishes shoal together to feed on the plankton and suddenly we are surrounded by rushing water, lunge feeding humpback whales and northern sea lions. Aboard our Zodiacs we were immersed in life feeding on the ocean’s bounty. Seabirds and whales, a sea otter quietly tucked up in a kelp bed, and a bald eagle perched on a rock above us, sternly surveying the scene.
This evening, the golden light sifts through the distant low fog bank. At Point Adolphus in Icy Strait, humpback whales suddenly burst through the current lines, tails thrashing and huge streams of water flying. In the last light, a baby humpback whale breaches.
What could be better?
