Pavlof Harbor
From all points of the compass we came as explorers to Alaska. Young of age and young of heart came with a common desire to experience a wild place, a landscape of inspiring vistas and impressive beasts. From the brown bear placidly munching the shoreline sedges of Chichagof Island this morning, to the pair of humpback whales offering a wake-up call of exuberant exhalations, we exhausted ourselves in exploration.
Tomorrow we disperse, returning to our homes and familiar landscapes. We are not the same people going home. We now have the scale of an Alaska landscape and the diversity of an Alaskan experience to savor and reflect upon. Some of our younger travelers took a few moments to reflect on their experiences of this past week. Their writings are shared with you here:
Bears
Large lumbering beasts
Always searching for food
To feed to their cubs
Eagle
Soaring through the clear blue sky
Wings allowing them to fly
Diving down into the sea
Many smaller birds do flee
Letting out its eagle cry
Killer Whales
Strong sleek, silent hunters
Swimming, diving, blowing, hunting, killing, eating
Feeling of power in tiny movements
Beautiful
Superb, sleek, dipping through water
Exuberant, boisterous, clowns of the sea
Astonishingly good at navigating oceans
Lively, beautiful, born swimming free
Austin Allen (Age 13)
The humpbacks glint against the water,
shimmering black glow,
Haunting strains
Mist and mysticetes
Makes the shadows look grey-Then!
A rooster tail cockscomb of water-colored glass
Sun comes through the omniscient cumulous
A three-note riff in cacao white light,
One!
Two!
Three!
Four!
Jump and
Splash! Catch the eye and hold it in a
Whirl of what-is-that,
White be-splotched brown dolphinettes
Whippin’ up cream in the wake of the bow
Nature’s entertainers,
Wreathed in scarves of rainbow breath,
Shimmering red, orange, green and blue
Shining as slate-dark surf.
They be skaters who caught the mirrors
Of a big white bus,
Skimming past on acceleration
Way ahead of those lumbering wheels,
And the passengers hang out the window
Laughing hard and living vicarious.
Dall’s porpoises, someone says
Skip and flash of ivory sides in the blueness
Then gone.
Our song is sung
Our stop has come
So long.
Laurel Estes (age 13)
A Reflectional Piece of Non-Rhyming Poetry
Although we have missed our houses and friends at home, both of us have thoroughly enjoyed being in Alaska and being able to experience the magnificence and beauty of the Alaskan coastline. Among the large variety of animals we’ve seen are; harbor seals, humpback whales, a jellyfish, bears, sea lions, orcas, sea otters, puffins, bald eagles, sea anemones, starfish and a multitude more. Sarah was very impressed by the strong smell of sea lions. Sally on the other hand was enthralled by the plushiness of the puffins.
Both of us got to explore the majestic landscapes in different and similar ways. Sarah personally liked the float planes. While observing the Mendenhall Glacier we were gifted by the sight of a huge chunk of the glacier calving. While learning to drive a Zodiac, we realized the enormous size of humpback whales. We got to see the whale up-close and personal. Even though we both felt sea-sick at times, it was still an amazing , once in a life-time trip.
Sarah Vanderwall (Age 13) and Sally Caruso (Age 13)
From all points of the compass we came as explorers to Alaska. Young of age and young of heart came with a common desire to experience a wild place, a landscape of inspiring vistas and impressive beasts. From the brown bear placidly munching the shoreline sedges of Chichagof Island this morning, to the pair of humpback whales offering a wake-up call of exuberant exhalations, we exhausted ourselves in exploration.
Tomorrow we disperse, returning to our homes and familiar landscapes. We are not the same people going home. We now have the scale of an Alaska landscape and the diversity of an Alaskan experience to savor and reflect upon. Some of our younger travelers took a few moments to reflect on their experiences of this past week. Their writings are shared with you here:
Bears
Large lumbering beasts
Always searching for food
To feed to their cubs
Eagle
Soaring through the clear blue sky
Wings allowing them to fly
Diving down into the sea
Many smaller birds do flee
Letting out its eagle cry
Killer Whales
Strong sleek, silent hunters
Swimming, diving, blowing, hunting, killing, eating
Feeling of power in tiny movements
Beautiful
Superb, sleek, dipping through water
Exuberant, boisterous, clowns of the sea
Astonishingly good at navigating oceans
Lively, beautiful, born swimming free
Austin Allen (Age 13)
The humpbacks glint against the water,
shimmering black glow,
Haunting strains
Mist and mysticetes
Makes the shadows look grey-Then!
A rooster tail cockscomb of water-colored glass
Sun comes through the omniscient cumulous
A three-note riff in cacao white light,
One!
Two!
Three!
Four!
Jump and
Splash! Catch the eye and hold it in a
Whirl of what-is-that,
White be-splotched brown dolphinettes
Whippin’ up cream in the wake of the bow
Nature’s entertainers,
Wreathed in scarves of rainbow breath,
Shimmering red, orange, green and blue
Shining as slate-dark surf.
They be skaters who caught the mirrors
Of a big white bus,
Skimming past on acceleration
Way ahead of those lumbering wheels,
And the passengers hang out the window
Laughing hard and living vicarious.
Dall’s porpoises, someone says
Skip and flash of ivory sides in the blueness
Then gone.
Our song is sung
Our stop has come
So long.
Laurel Estes (age 13)
A Reflectional Piece of Non-Rhyming Poetry
Although we have missed our houses and friends at home, both of us have thoroughly enjoyed being in Alaska and being able to experience the magnificence and beauty of the Alaskan coastline. Among the large variety of animals we’ve seen are; harbor seals, humpback whales, a jellyfish, bears, sea lions, orcas, sea otters, puffins, bald eagles, sea anemones, starfish and a multitude more. Sarah was very impressed by the strong smell of sea lions. Sally on the other hand was enthralled by the plushiness of the puffins.
Both of us got to explore the majestic landscapes in different and similar ways. Sarah personally liked the float planes. While observing the Mendenhall Glacier we were gifted by the sight of a huge chunk of the glacier calving. While learning to drive a Zodiac, we realized the enormous size of humpback whales. We got to see the whale up-close and personal. Even though we both felt sea-sick at times, it was still an amazing , once in a life-time trip.
Sarah Vanderwall (Age 13) and Sally Caruso (Age 13)
