George Island & Inian Islands
“Splish-splash I was taking a bath!” When one thinks of an expedition to Alaska, swimming doesn’t immediately jump to mind. But this week has been such a grand experience, why not go the whole way? It wasn’t exactly a swim. Call it a dunk, or a plunge. The hoots and hollers of plungers and watchers alike made for a fun finale to our morning at George Island.
Many of us walked to the site of a massive six inch canon, built prior to WWI for action on a French frigate, but installed here on George Island by the U.S. Army during WWII. The kayak outing proved memorable both for our views of agile seabirds overhead and for the colorful sea stars below. Some paddlers dared the open ocean for a spectacular view of a stunning rock arch, its outer flanks weather-beaten by winter storms. Riding the swell of the sea, we felt a bit vulnerable yet acutely alive, as if the ocean itself were breathing. It tingled the nerves, but was worth every mile and minute of muscle power. Horned and tufted puffins zoomed by as we made our way back.
By far the best swimmers of the day were the Steller sea lions. From our afternoon anchorage in Inian Pass, we traveled by Zodiac to a sea lion haul-out on a small rocky island. While some of these powerful marine mammals stayed on the rocks, others went for a swim. Splish-splash, but this time with elegance. The sea lions cavorted amid tidal currents abundant with salmon. Sometimes it was hard to tell who was more curious, us or them, as they often swam to within a few feet of the Zodiacs.
In preparation of our visit to Tracy Arm tomorrow, David Hirsch, our geologist, gave a late afternoon presentation on glaciers. Icy Strait was glass calm and the sun came out as we motored east towards Point Adolphus and new adventures.
“Splish-splash I was taking a bath!” When one thinks of an expedition to Alaska, swimming doesn’t immediately jump to mind. But this week has been such a grand experience, why not go the whole way? It wasn’t exactly a swim. Call it a dunk, or a plunge. The hoots and hollers of plungers and watchers alike made for a fun finale to our morning at George Island.
Many of us walked to the site of a massive six inch canon, built prior to WWI for action on a French frigate, but installed here on George Island by the U.S. Army during WWII. The kayak outing proved memorable both for our views of agile seabirds overhead and for the colorful sea stars below. Some paddlers dared the open ocean for a spectacular view of a stunning rock arch, its outer flanks weather-beaten by winter storms. Riding the swell of the sea, we felt a bit vulnerable yet acutely alive, as if the ocean itself were breathing. It tingled the nerves, but was worth every mile and minute of muscle power. Horned and tufted puffins zoomed by as we made our way back.
By far the best swimmers of the day were the Steller sea lions. From our afternoon anchorage in Inian Pass, we traveled by Zodiac to a sea lion haul-out on a small rocky island. While some of these powerful marine mammals stayed on the rocks, others went for a swim. Splish-splash, but this time with elegance. The sea lions cavorted amid tidal currents abundant with salmon. Sometimes it was hard to tell who was more curious, us or them, as they often swam to within a few feet of the Zodiacs.
In preparation of our visit to Tracy Arm tomorrow, David Hirsch, our geologist, gave a late afternoon presentation on glaciers. Icy Strait was glass calm and the sun came out as we motored east towards Point Adolphus and new adventures.
