Gedney Channel on the northern tip of Revillagigedo Island, Southeastern Alaska
We traveled all night south along the Wrangle Narrows to the Stiffen Straits, the mighty Clarence Strait and into the Behm Canal along northern Revillagigedo Island (named after Count Revillagigedo, one of the Spanish viceroys in New Spain (Mexico). Dawn caught us in this lovely canal, from which we could see the majestic forests of Sitka Spruce and Western Hemlocks. Having passed into a different environmental community of trees, we also began seeing a good number of the two most valuable trees in the area: the western Redcedar, and the Yellow, or Alaska Cedar. After a hearty breakfast, we set out in our Zodiacs to two different points within Gedney Channel, on two different hikes. One of them led us along an old logging road, with very many interesting species of plants, as well as with a good number of the cedars. We had the opportunity of watching some birds, such as the American Robin, and a merlin. Other smaller birds were singing in the forest, with all their might! A small beaver dam in good repair was seen next to the road. This area has been logged quite heavily in recent years, as it belongs to the Tongass National Forest. Meanwhile, the other group of hikers made their way up a steeper path in the forest, having had the chance of seeing a good quality old-growth forest. Some of us preferred our fun on the water, and chose to kayak! The water was very calm, with no currents. As we left, we saw two black bears walking along the beach, and a small series of harbor seals lying on a few low, rocky islands. This behavior is due to the scarcity of predators for them. Beam Canal turns south after a while, following the curve of the island. As we sailed on, we had more opportunities of seeing seabirds, as well as small pods of Dall's porpoise, going full speed north. Due to their speed, they are very difficult to observe, and generally one gets to see only their roostertails or the splash the dorsal fin makes as it cuts the water at such a high speed. We have been very lucky with weather: perfect days, sunny, and with a refreshing moderate wind!
We traveled all night south along the Wrangle Narrows to the Stiffen Straits, the mighty Clarence Strait and into the Behm Canal along northern Revillagigedo Island (named after Count Revillagigedo, one of the Spanish viceroys in New Spain (Mexico). Dawn caught us in this lovely canal, from which we could see the majestic forests of Sitka Spruce and Western Hemlocks. Having passed into a different environmental community of trees, we also began seeing a good number of the two most valuable trees in the area: the western Redcedar, and the Yellow, or Alaska Cedar. After a hearty breakfast, we set out in our Zodiacs to two different points within Gedney Channel, on two different hikes. One of them led us along an old logging road, with very many interesting species of plants, as well as with a good number of the cedars. We had the opportunity of watching some birds, such as the American Robin, and a merlin. Other smaller birds were singing in the forest, with all their might! A small beaver dam in good repair was seen next to the road. This area has been logged quite heavily in recent years, as it belongs to the Tongass National Forest. Meanwhile, the other group of hikers made their way up a steeper path in the forest, having had the chance of seeing a good quality old-growth forest. Some of us preferred our fun on the water, and chose to kayak! The water was very calm, with no currents. As we left, we saw two black bears walking along the beach, and a small series of harbor seals lying on a few low, rocky islands. This behavior is due to the scarcity of predators for them. Beam Canal turns south after a while, following the curve of the island. As we sailed on, we had more opportunities of seeing seabirds, as well as small pods of Dall's porpoise, going full speed north. Due to their speed, they are very difficult to observe, and generally one gets to see only their roostertails or the splash the dorsal fin makes as it cuts the water at such a high speed. We have been very lucky with weather: perfect days, sunny, and with a refreshing moderate wind!
