Inian Islands, Elfin Cove & George Islands
What a morning! In the unusually calm waters surrounding the Inian Islands, the rarely seen Fairweather Range shone brightly above a raft of sea otters. These endearing animals played an important part in the history of Alaska. Two Russian ships, under the command of Vitus Bering, set sail in June of 1741 across unknown seas to an unknown land. A storm separated the ships after two weeks and they would never see each other again. One ship returned home, the other wrecked on the Commondorski Islands. That winter, the huddled, starving men collected wild edible plants and killed dozens of sea otters. From the wreckage of their ship, they rebuilt a small boat and returned home. Their vessel would have sunk had they not stuffed the rich sea otter pelts between the planks of the hull. They returned to a hero’s welcome, but everyone’s attention soon turned to the unusually luxurious fur pelts used as chinking. The Chinese market would offer a fortune for this new-found fur. The rest, as they say, is history. After a bountiful 220 years in the fur trade (and depleting sea otters to near-extinction) Russia sold Alaska to America. Luckily for us, the otters made a remarkable recovery.
As if otters before breakfast wasn’t exciting enough, then came a breaching humpback whale. Jumping clear out of the water, this particular whale repeated its aerial flights over and over. In fact, the interval was so predictable that we were able to time the breaches within a second or two. Cameras whirred with each dance. Scientists have several theories about this behavior, ranging from stunning fish, to communication, to play, or removing barnacles. Whatever the reason, the result is simply amazing. Not one of us missed this spectacular display of strength and grace.
Elfin Cove is…well, elfin. With a winter population of only 8, this tiny community has a boardwalk that connects all the homes. We had plenty of time to explore its magic. This is the real Alaska where people live off the bounty of the sea and get along with little else, and celebrate their choice to travel the path less taken.
Afternoon kayaking found us paddling in (and sometimes through) the hidden passages around Granite Cove, in the George Islands. Never far from our ship, but with plenty of mystery, we found colorful seastars, clear moon jellyfish, and lots of seaweed. The hikers meanwhile enjoyed a casual walk out to a WWII gunnery emplacement and caught a quick glimpse of a minke whale. It was a full day and we ended it tired but happy as we bid goodnight to our shipmates.
What a morning! In the unusually calm waters surrounding the Inian Islands, the rarely seen Fairweather Range shone brightly above a raft of sea otters. These endearing animals played an important part in the history of Alaska. Two Russian ships, under the command of Vitus Bering, set sail in June of 1741 across unknown seas to an unknown land. A storm separated the ships after two weeks and they would never see each other again. One ship returned home, the other wrecked on the Commondorski Islands. That winter, the huddled, starving men collected wild edible plants and killed dozens of sea otters. From the wreckage of their ship, they rebuilt a small boat and returned home. Their vessel would have sunk had they not stuffed the rich sea otter pelts between the planks of the hull. They returned to a hero’s welcome, but everyone’s attention soon turned to the unusually luxurious fur pelts used as chinking. The Chinese market would offer a fortune for this new-found fur. The rest, as they say, is history. After a bountiful 220 years in the fur trade (and depleting sea otters to near-extinction) Russia sold Alaska to America. Luckily for us, the otters made a remarkable recovery.
As if otters before breakfast wasn’t exciting enough, then came a breaching humpback whale. Jumping clear out of the water, this particular whale repeated its aerial flights over and over. In fact, the interval was so predictable that we were able to time the breaches within a second or two. Cameras whirred with each dance. Scientists have several theories about this behavior, ranging from stunning fish, to communication, to play, or removing barnacles. Whatever the reason, the result is simply amazing. Not one of us missed this spectacular display of strength and grace.
Elfin Cove is…well, elfin. With a winter population of only 8, this tiny community has a boardwalk that connects all the homes. We had plenty of time to explore its magic. This is the real Alaska where people live off the bounty of the sea and get along with little else, and celebrate their choice to travel the path less taken.
Afternoon kayaking found us paddling in (and sometimes through) the hidden passages around Granite Cove, in the George Islands. Never far from our ship, but with plenty of mystery, we found colorful seastars, clear moon jellyfish, and lots of seaweed. The hikers meanwhile enjoyed a casual walk out to a WWII gunnery emplacement and caught a quick glimpse of a minke whale. It was a full day and we ended it tired but happy as we bid goodnight to our shipmates.
