Port Houghton & Frederick Sound, Southeast Alaska
The morning wake-up call was somewhat moot as many restless people were already marveling at the beauty surrounding the ship. Earlier, the anchor had been lowered when we arrived at the very end of a spot called Port Houghton. All around us the low scattered clouds hung amongst the towering uninterrupted temperate rainforest. Snow still blanketed the tops of the mountains and draped down into the upper reaches of the forest. A stunning landscape that would be the backdrop for our morning activities.
There was great interest in the first kayak excursion of the voyage so two groups were scheduled. Hikers went ashore first to explore the vast meadow and bordering forest. One of the first discoveries made were large bear tracks crossing the mud above the shoreline. Along the edge of the forest Nootka lupine was just bursting from its buds and bright yellow hoods of skunk cabbage dotted the wetter areas. There was evidence that this fresh growth of plants were savored as food of roaming bears and possibly other wildlife. Piles of winter moose droppings and clipped off twigs of shrubs indicated that the area was used heavily during this last winter which was a hard one.
Kayakers launched from a small beach exposed by the low tide. The waters of the bay were like a mirror, reflecting the forest an the intertidal shoreline so perfectly that it was hard to tell where the two met. A small channel into the meadow provided an avenue to explore and serenely listen to the voices of the forest. For some of the people this was their first experience in kayaks and returning to the landing site they all said it would not be their last.
In the afternoon we cruised into Frederick Sound in search of marine wildlife. It was not long after lifting anchor that a cow and calf Humpback Whale were spotted near the shoreline. To our surprise and delight the young whale exhibited its exuberance for life by breaching entirely out of the water a number of times. Then late in the afternoon we watched a whale that we presumed was feeding at about a 200 foot depth, probably on zooplankton. We waited patiently for 6-7 minutes while the whale was down and then surface for air with a finale of a rise of the tail fluke. A few minutes after regaining our northward course there was another announcement to come to the bow.
This time we slowly approached the shoreline where two dark brown figures slowly walked along the grassy vegetation in front of the forest. For the next 45 minutes a small bear “drama” unfolded before our gaze. Two of brown bears our naturalists thought were male and female as this was the time when males tested the receptivity of the female to mating. The male was possibly taking out his frustrations on a nearby tree, scratching the trunk and pulling at the branches. Then a small bear was spotted just 100 yards down the coast and it turned out to be a young bear and its mother. Back to the amorous male, that again approached the female which was only interested in grazing on the grass. The presumed male then returned to thrashing the tree branches. After a bit of tree wrestling the male returned to check on the presumed female. Still no reaction. But then suddenly another scruffy looking bear happened onto the scene. The larger darker “male” bear felt the intruder was not to be tolerated so he immediately made his way toward the new bear. The intruder then started rushing off the scene with the larger bear in hot pursuit. But unfortunately it was in the direction of the sow and cub. They did not want any part of this conflict and quickly rushed into the forest. The big male continued its pursuit of the intruder as we pulled away from the shore to continue our north course. A final sighting of the day was two more bears. Just another amazing day in Southeast Alaska.
The morning wake-up call was somewhat moot as many restless people were already marveling at the beauty surrounding the ship. Earlier, the anchor had been lowered when we arrived at the very end of a spot called Port Houghton. All around us the low scattered clouds hung amongst the towering uninterrupted temperate rainforest. Snow still blanketed the tops of the mountains and draped down into the upper reaches of the forest. A stunning landscape that would be the backdrop for our morning activities.
There was great interest in the first kayak excursion of the voyage so two groups were scheduled. Hikers went ashore first to explore the vast meadow and bordering forest. One of the first discoveries made were large bear tracks crossing the mud above the shoreline. Along the edge of the forest Nootka lupine was just bursting from its buds and bright yellow hoods of skunk cabbage dotted the wetter areas. There was evidence that this fresh growth of plants were savored as food of roaming bears and possibly other wildlife. Piles of winter moose droppings and clipped off twigs of shrubs indicated that the area was used heavily during this last winter which was a hard one.
Kayakers launched from a small beach exposed by the low tide. The waters of the bay were like a mirror, reflecting the forest an the intertidal shoreline so perfectly that it was hard to tell where the two met. A small channel into the meadow provided an avenue to explore and serenely listen to the voices of the forest. For some of the people this was their first experience in kayaks and returning to the landing site they all said it would not be their last.
In the afternoon we cruised into Frederick Sound in search of marine wildlife. It was not long after lifting anchor that a cow and calf Humpback Whale were spotted near the shoreline. To our surprise and delight the young whale exhibited its exuberance for life by breaching entirely out of the water a number of times. Then late in the afternoon we watched a whale that we presumed was feeding at about a 200 foot depth, probably on zooplankton. We waited patiently for 6-7 minutes while the whale was down and then surface for air with a finale of a rise of the tail fluke. A few minutes after regaining our northward course there was another announcement to come to the bow.
This time we slowly approached the shoreline where two dark brown figures slowly walked along the grassy vegetation in front of the forest. For the next 45 minutes a small bear “drama” unfolded before our gaze. Two of brown bears our naturalists thought were male and female as this was the time when males tested the receptivity of the female to mating. The male was possibly taking out his frustrations on a nearby tree, scratching the trunk and pulling at the branches. Then a small bear was spotted just 100 yards down the coast and it turned out to be a young bear and its mother. Back to the amorous male, that again approached the female which was only interested in grazing on the grass. The presumed male then returned to thrashing the tree branches. After a bit of tree wrestling the male returned to check on the presumed female. Still no reaction. But then suddenly another scruffy looking bear happened onto the scene. The larger darker “male” bear felt the intruder was not to be tolerated so he immediately made his way toward the new bear. The intruder then started rushing off the scene with the larger bear in hot pursuit. But unfortunately it was in the direction of the sow and cub. They did not want any part of this conflict and quickly rushed into the forest. The big male continued its pursuit of the intruder as we pulled away from the shore to continue our north course. A final sighting of the day was two more bears. Just another amazing day in Southeast Alaska.
