Elfin Cove, George Island, and Point Adolphus
We awoke to fog, rafting sea otters and glassy calm seas this morning in Idaho Inlet, and before breakfast could be called, a single humpback and beachcombing bear had joined the fray. The fog melted away as the morning progressed, leaving us with jaw dropping views of 15,306 foot Mt. Fairweather and the entire Fairweather range, so named because they are only visible on the clearest of days. Needless to say, we all felt very lucky to be able to finally bask in the sun! Our morning continued to improve as we traversed the current-filled Inian Islands and made our way towards Elfin Cove. Northern sea lions, Sitka blacktail deer, sea otter mums and pups, basking seals, and even a lunge-feeding humpback whale conspired to make the day perfect... and it was only 10 o’clock!
Elfin Cove, a quaint fishing town (winter population of 8), was our next stop. While parents took in the town sights and devoured samples of sumptuous smoked fish, our younger guests (aka “The Speed Demons”) earned their Zodiac “driving licenses” in the bay. After lunch, we anchored next to George Island for an afternoon of adventure. While kayakers visited cormorants nesting in caves in the rocks, hikers meandered through the sun-dappled and slug-laden woods to visit the remains of a World War II military outpost. Kids and adults clambered among the rocks and watched humpbacks fluke up against the backdrop of the mountains. Back at the beach, a half-dozen very warm-blooded guests and crew braved the cold and dove into the waters of the bay.
The evening appetizers were accompanied by naturalist Chris Lindberg’s slide presentation on Forest Ecology, and video chronicler William Meyer’s sneak preview of this week’s video. At dinner time, we finally learned the reason for our good fortune today—Tom and Martha Lee Parker’s 50th wedding anniversary. Even the waters turned golden with the setting sun in recognition of their love and passion for life. Oh, and then more humpback whales arrived to lull us to sleep.
