Icy Strait and Cross Sound
Southeast Alaska is famed for the beauty of its landscape, the splendor of its wildlife and the richness of its seas. Nowhere do these attributes seem more pronounced than in Icy Strait and Cross Sound. These joined waterways connect the northernmost part of the Inside Passage to the open ocean. Twice a day, tides rise and fall, and the currents in Icy Strait flow with sometimes frightening velocity. Yet these daunting currents are what make this region particularly attractive – they stir nutrients to the surface, creating marine conditions that are astonishingly fecund.
We began our day in Idaho Inlet. This is a favorite area for sea otters, which gather in fuzzy aggregations. We anchored off of Fox Creek and went ashore for walks. The forest around Fox Creek has long been the abode of brown bears. We walked trails that once were bruin highways. Red squirrels peered at us from the spruce trees, and with bird-like chirrs admonished us to be on our way and out of their territories. Deer tracks laced the shore. And we admired the size and variety of what the bears had left behind – clues to their changing diet as the season progresses.
Meanwhile, kayakers circumnavigated nearby Shaw Island. They paddled through the top of one of Alaska’s most impressive forests – the hundred-foot-high kelp beds that surround many an island near the outer coast. Seals haul out on Shaw Island, and we did our best not to startle them. Shy yet curious, seals have a retiring cat-like style. Sea lions on the other hand, can be as rambunctious and frisky as over-grown puppies.
In the afternoon, we took Zodiacs through the Inian Islands, which are often thick with sea lions. And no wonder. As tidal currents race through the islands, they carry salmon into waiting sea lion jaws. Though dainty eaters, sea lions have no way to delicately dissect big fish. Instead, they surface and lash their heads, tearing great hunks of flesh from their fishy prey. Gulls swirl. Eagles watch jealously from the trees. It’s a gripping scene. Sea lions also rest along the rocky shore of the Inians. Though boisterous, sea lions are also wary on land, so we strove to observe without causing them undo concern. And many of the ‘lions seemed far from worried by our arrival. Indeed, they followed us with obvious curiosity. They leapt in acrobatic exuberance, raced our boats, or approached in rowdy scrums, all eyes and whiskers, and even nibbled experimentally on our Zodiacs!
After dinner we continued to savor Cross Sound. The swells from the Pacific were so gentle that we ventured to the seaward side of the islands. The Fairweather Mountains shone in the light of the setting sun. Whale spouts hung in the air. Birds passed in meandering skeins.
For beauty and wildlife, Southeast Alaska is hard to top. Today we experienced its finest at its finest.
