It began with a quiet cruise into Idaho Inlet on the north shore of Chichagof Island. We slowed to enjoy the antics of rafts of delightful sea otters as they floated on their backs, each with a wary eye on our approaching ship. Three Alaska brown (grizzly) bears fed undisturbed at the edge of the shoreline forest, while another suddenly appeared in an estuarine meadow -- the very meadow that was to be our morning destination for an exploratory hike and our base for a kayaking excursion. The bear is master here, so we weighed anchor and found another equally interesting beach and forest nearby.
After lunch we followed a group of humpback whales that were feeding in Icy Strait. Among them was an individual we affectionately named "Hooter." His (or her?) trumpet-like blows echoed across the water, reminding us of an amorous bull elephant. An astonishing tandem breach by two adult humpbacks and flipper-flapping and tail-lobbing by others added excitement to this encounter. These huge animals, a baleen species, have recently returned from a warm winter in Hawaiian waters. They appeared nonplussed by the five or six killer whales swimming nearby.
