Fox Creek & the Inian Islands
Idaho Inlet is nothing like the state, or the potato, that shares its name. Indenting the north shore of Chichagof Island, it was named not for a place but for a ship, the mail steamer Idaho, which ran aground in the soft mud at the head of the inlet in the early 1880s, after her captain was confused – some say deliberately – by a description of a shortcut to Sitka. We saw no signs of other ships this morning, and stayed well clear of the shallows at the head of the long bay while enjoying an early morning cruise. As far as cuteness in marine mammals go, we decided, sea otters take the cake, although birds in flight framed in the changing light of a multi-textured sky as the sun climbs above the horizon are pretty great too.
Our morning landing was at Fox Creek, near the mouth of Idaho Inlet. Our first chance to go ashore, and see in detail all that we have been enjoying from ship, zodiac, and kayak. We landed on a sweeping rocky beach at low tide, and each naturalist-led group ambled or strode along the beach fringe, pausing to sample beach greens or oyster plant and talk about the amazing number of edible species available where sea meets shore.
Heading through a small uplift meadow where the last of the yarrow, poison hemlock, and angelica were in bloom, we plunged into the rainforest. Beneath spruce trees, we found giant footprints where brown bears have walked, placing their feet in the same place, until moss and small plants were worn away. There were squirrel middens, devils club and skunk cabbage, and an amazing variety of bright and intricate mushrooms.
A climb through bigger trees took us to a peat bog, where we got a close look at this unique habitat, home to a special set of plants that are adapted to grow in cool, acidic, low-nutrient and especially wet conditions. Our footfalls sunk into the spongy ground as we climbed. Tracks of a pine marten proved that we were not the first to walk that way.
From the top, the view of the bog was enchanting. A look at a bog orchid and an insect eating sundew, and we were ready to head down. Our path back took us to a stream where pink salmon are spawning, and we marveled at the perseverance and abundance of these fish, returning by the hundreds to the small stream where they were born, bringing the bounty of the sea back to the land.
Afternoon found us at the Inian Islands, a collection of small tree-covered islands at the mouth of Icy Straits. This is a place on the edge of the Inside Passage, where each cycle of the tide sees movement of enormous quantities of water from the Gulf of Alaska to inside waterways or back out.
Big movements of water bring big productivity, which means lots of wildlife, and on our zodiac cruises today we were the grateful witnesses to this phenomenon. Sea otters demonstrated their ease and agility. One smacked a flat rock held on its belly while floating on its back, breaking into the hard-shelled animal – probably a whelk – it was eating. Another carried her baby on her belly as she swam, backstroke, with foot pedal power.
Steller sea lions were there too, sleek swimmers lifting their heads high to look our way. Murres, cormorants, auklets, and black-legged kittiwakes flew, dove and fluttered. One boat saw a whale, up close, as it lunged through the surface.
It was, all in all, a true Alaskan wilderness day.
