Idaho Inlet
This morning we cruised along Pt. Adolphus, a point well known for its abundance of humpback whales. We were not disappointed. There were a few of the marine mammals roaming around the food rich waters near the northern terminus of the inland water way that we have been traveling through. A small ship can sail in protected waters for over a thousand miles from downtown Seattle to this area just west of Glacier Bay National Park. The tides are quite dramatic in height change and velocity in this area as well. We experienced that change as the captain took us through Innian Pass where we were on the lookout for the cuddliest of the marine mammals, the sea otter. It is also one of the nastiest as we learned later in recap. Along the way there were numerous sightings of Stellar sea lions some of whom had caught fish that they wanted to showoff to us. The captain held the ship steady as we took a look at some otters that had wrapped themselves up in kelp near some rocks. They were cute as that washed themselves in the seawater.
From our morning we transitioned to the afternoons activities by having lunch and repositioning the ship to a fjord called Idaho Inlet. It got its name from a captain who took the steamship Idaho up the inlet thinking it was a shortcut to Sitka only to find the mudflat at the southern end. This is where our afternoons' activities would be based. Kayaking and hiking along with a Zodiac cruise for some were on the menu. Just as things were getting started the advance team of naturalists on the beach noticed an "Oso Café Grande," as Iliana called it; a large brown bear! Yes, there was a bear in the meadow we wanted to walk in. The decision was made that this bear was fairly docile in its behavior. The hiking commenced. We all kept a weary eye on the bear that took notice of us by standing up on his or her hind legs. The bear seemed to be bored after a while and just sat down in the tall grass and stared snacking on it. The different groups found ancient trails that have probably been used by this bear and others for hundreds of years. It was good for all of us to think about being in the bear's environment and not having any fences or moats or bars between this great and revered animal and us. We walked along the trails made by bears looked at trees scratched by bears and at numerous piles of bear scat and realized we were not the top of the foodchain in this neighborhood. It was a healthy perspective to have.
This morning we cruised along Pt. Adolphus, a point well known for its abundance of humpback whales. We were not disappointed. There were a few of the marine mammals roaming around the food rich waters near the northern terminus of the inland water way that we have been traveling through. A small ship can sail in protected waters for over a thousand miles from downtown Seattle to this area just west of Glacier Bay National Park. The tides are quite dramatic in height change and velocity in this area as well. We experienced that change as the captain took us through Innian Pass where we were on the lookout for the cuddliest of the marine mammals, the sea otter. It is also one of the nastiest as we learned later in recap. Along the way there were numerous sightings of Stellar sea lions some of whom had caught fish that they wanted to showoff to us. The captain held the ship steady as we took a look at some otters that had wrapped themselves up in kelp near some rocks. They were cute as that washed themselves in the seawater.
From our morning we transitioned to the afternoons activities by having lunch and repositioning the ship to a fjord called Idaho Inlet. It got its name from a captain who took the steamship Idaho up the inlet thinking it was a shortcut to Sitka only to find the mudflat at the southern end. This is where our afternoons' activities would be based. Kayaking and hiking along with a Zodiac cruise for some were on the menu. Just as things were getting started the advance team of naturalists on the beach noticed an "Oso Café Grande," as Iliana called it; a large brown bear! Yes, there was a bear in the meadow we wanted to walk in. The decision was made that this bear was fairly docile in its behavior. The hiking commenced. We all kept a weary eye on the bear that took notice of us by standing up on his or her hind legs. The bear seemed to be bored after a while and just sat down in the tall grass and stared snacking on it. The different groups found ancient trails that have probably been used by this bear and others for hundreds of years. It was good for all of us to think about being in the bear's environment and not having any fences or moats or bars between this great and revered animal and us. We walked along the trails made by bears looked at trees scratched by bears and at numerous piles of bear scat and realized we were not the top of the foodchain in this neighborhood. It was a healthy perspective to have.
