Kelp Bay: Pond Island and the South Arm
For most of us, the day started when the Sea Lion slowed down in a small inlet, facing the spectacular Kasnyku Falls. As we came on deck, we faced a swath of cascading white water crashing down a near-vertical rocky cliff, in the middle of a large forested hill. The lake and river, which feed the falls from higher up in the hills, remained out of sight, creating the magical impression of a waterfall bursting forth out of the top of the hill. In contrast to the violence of the falls, the small bay was a jewel of tranquility in the early morning light, with a small flock of harlequin ducks preening themselves on the placid water, and a pair of marbled murrelets diving for their breakfast. All this, and the arrival of the Sea Lion was patiently watched by a solitary bald eagle high above us all in a large spruce tree.
Later this morning, we explored the convoluted shoreline of Pond Island, paddling our kayaks slowly in and out of shallow bays, crossing over to a small island, and peering down into the 'forests' of the sub-tidal zone. The diffuse light of the cloudy morning was perfect for observing the invertebrate denizens underneath our kayaks. The first organism to attract our attention, was a bright red bat star, with its blunt-angled points. But soon the exclamations of delight were focused on a large, spiny red sea-urchin, and a number of California sea cucumbers, lying on the bottom, like giant, gray, slugs, decorated with orangy-red tubercles. Other sea stars, including the enormous, many-pointed sunflower star, and several other organisms, including smaller sea stars of different colors and shapes, titillated our sense of bio-esthetics. But ultimately, just staring down into the gently waving fronds of the kelp and other algae, and dreaming about this alien world, was the real experience of the day. Once, very long ago, our ancestors lived in such an environment. Will we preserve it for our descendents to look into, and dream about?
The afternoon was devoted to exploring the South Arm, and even before the Sea Lion dropped her anchor near the extensive system of meadows, did we have our first amazing sighting. A fair sized brown bear was quietly foraging on a small grassy patch on the shore, accompanied by her cuter than cute cub. Despite having a very young cub with her, the sow seemed completely at ease in the proximity of the ship and the crowd of whispering onlookers. It was totally delightful to be able to observe this small wild family, this mother and child, at peace, in their own world.
Once on land, the hikers explored the delta of a small river, which consisted of a series of meadows, of different ages, levels and soil type. The flat land was transected by a few branches of the river, creating a very pleasing landscape with an abundance of wildflowers. The most spectacular meadow was a large, very old, raised one on a spongy peat soil, which stunned us with an amazing abundance of blooming wild geraniums and wild flag irises, as well as smaller numbers of many other flowers. Casting our eyes over the intensely green meadow, with all the flowers forming an ethereal, pointillistic haze of blue and mauve dots, above the meadow, created an arresting image, which will be with us for a very long time.
For most of us, the day started when the Sea Lion slowed down in a small inlet, facing the spectacular Kasnyku Falls. As we came on deck, we faced a swath of cascading white water crashing down a near-vertical rocky cliff, in the middle of a large forested hill. The lake and river, which feed the falls from higher up in the hills, remained out of sight, creating the magical impression of a waterfall bursting forth out of the top of the hill. In contrast to the violence of the falls, the small bay was a jewel of tranquility in the early morning light, with a small flock of harlequin ducks preening themselves on the placid water, and a pair of marbled murrelets diving for their breakfast. All this, and the arrival of the Sea Lion was patiently watched by a solitary bald eagle high above us all in a large spruce tree.
Later this morning, we explored the convoluted shoreline of Pond Island, paddling our kayaks slowly in and out of shallow bays, crossing over to a small island, and peering down into the 'forests' of the sub-tidal zone. The diffuse light of the cloudy morning was perfect for observing the invertebrate denizens underneath our kayaks. The first organism to attract our attention, was a bright red bat star, with its blunt-angled points. But soon the exclamations of delight were focused on a large, spiny red sea-urchin, and a number of California sea cucumbers, lying on the bottom, like giant, gray, slugs, decorated with orangy-red tubercles. Other sea stars, including the enormous, many-pointed sunflower star, and several other organisms, including smaller sea stars of different colors and shapes, titillated our sense of bio-esthetics. But ultimately, just staring down into the gently waving fronds of the kelp and other algae, and dreaming about this alien world, was the real experience of the day. Once, very long ago, our ancestors lived in such an environment. Will we preserve it for our descendents to look into, and dream about?
The afternoon was devoted to exploring the South Arm, and even before the Sea Lion dropped her anchor near the extensive system of meadows, did we have our first amazing sighting. A fair sized brown bear was quietly foraging on a small grassy patch on the shore, accompanied by her cuter than cute cub. Despite having a very young cub with her, the sow seemed completely at ease in the proximity of the ship and the crowd of whispering onlookers. It was totally delightful to be able to observe this small wild family, this mother and child, at peace, in their own world.
Once on land, the hikers explored the delta of a small river, which consisted of a series of meadows, of different ages, levels and soil type. The flat land was transected by a few branches of the river, creating a very pleasing landscape with an abundance of wildflowers. The most spectacular meadow was a large, very old, raised one on a spongy peat soil, which stunned us with an amazing abundance of blooming wild geraniums and wild flag irises, as well as smaller numbers of many other flowers. Casting our eyes over the intensely green meadow, with all the flowers forming an ethereal, pointillistic haze of blue and mauve dots, above the meadow, created an arresting image, which will be with us for a very long time.
