Kuiu and Admiralty Islands, Southeast Alaska
Under soft gray skies we awoke this morning in Saginaw Bay on the north end of Kuiu Island. Early risers heard matins sung by common loons, the pure music of the wilderness. The bay offered abundant opportunities for exploration and discovery. Many people slid into kayaks and paddled over shining waters. In the protected bay hardly a breeze rippled the surface, while moon jellyfish pulsed near the surface. Bald eagles cruised overhead. Their calls were almost like laughter, falling from the skies around us. One eagle even swept down to pluck a fish from the bay. Silent and low to the water, our kayaks helped us to explore the bay in peace, like sliding through a vivid dream.
Others of us took beach walks to explore the limestone cliffs, where we were rewarded with a wealth of fossils, especially brachiopods, a kind of ancient mussel, laid down 120 million years ago. The cliff rose sharply from the rocky beach, and at its base we encountered a profusion of wild and unusual plants. One of the most delightful was the Douglas maple, a rare tree in the islands. The pink flowers of Nootka roses crowded under the maples. In the rocks at the base of the cliff, we found common paintbrush, the flowers a deep scarlet. The red and yellow flowers of columbines nodded in light breezes, while the beautiful blue flowers of harebells were just coming into bloom. Up in one cranny of the cliff we found two more very unusual shrubs: highbush cranberry and osier dogwood.
Leaving Saginaw Bay into Frederick Sound, sharp eyes found a vivid pictograph made at some unknown time on an exposed stretch of rock. A red totemic face outlined with rays suggested a sun image, while its fierce expression testified to a deep human impulse to leave its mark upon the earth. At Chatham Strait, the Sea Lion came upon Yasha Island, a haul-out place for dozens of Steller’s sea lions. Blond and massive, the males weigh more than a ton. Sleeping in crowded piles, like enormous puppies, their bodies generated so much heat they sent up clouds of steam. The currents in this area create rich upwellings of nutrients, making it a fertile area for marine wildlife. Several humpback whales were feeding near the surface. One was particularly active, feeding in great lunges. Its mouth gaped while its pleated throat swelled with water and small fish. We watched several humpback whales, animals weighing as much as 40 tons, roll with exquisite grace into deep dives. When they lifted their tail flukes, each individually marked in patterns of black and white, we all cheered in delight.
Coasting Admiralty Island as we made our way north in Chatham Strait, we saw also Dall’s and harbor porpoise. With a glowing overcast, the pewter seas seemed to spawn dark shaped sea birds. We had excellent looks at common and Pacific loons, as well as alcids like common murres and the endangered marbled murrelets. Long lines of sea ducks streamed past us, flying low over the metallic seas. Admiralty Island is famous for its brown bears, boasting the world’s densest population. We entered Hood Bay in quest of bears feeding on the beach grass near the shore. There can be few more rewarding culminations to a day of discovery than what we found: four Alaskan brown bears. Two of them were particularly relaxed, a golden male and a dark, almost black female. In hushed awe we watched the big-shoulder bears for half an hour to end our day.
Under soft gray skies we awoke this morning in Saginaw Bay on the north end of Kuiu Island. Early risers heard matins sung by common loons, the pure music of the wilderness. The bay offered abundant opportunities for exploration and discovery. Many people slid into kayaks and paddled over shining waters. In the protected bay hardly a breeze rippled the surface, while moon jellyfish pulsed near the surface. Bald eagles cruised overhead. Their calls were almost like laughter, falling from the skies around us. One eagle even swept down to pluck a fish from the bay. Silent and low to the water, our kayaks helped us to explore the bay in peace, like sliding through a vivid dream.
Others of us took beach walks to explore the limestone cliffs, where we were rewarded with a wealth of fossils, especially brachiopods, a kind of ancient mussel, laid down 120 million years ago. The cliff rose sharply from the rocky beach, and at its base we encountered a profusion of wild and unusual plants. One of the most delightful was the Douglas maple, a rare tree in the islands. The pink flowers of Nootka roses crowded under the maples. In the rocks at the base of the cliff, we found common paintbrush, the flowers a deep scarlet. The red and yellow flowers of columbines nodded in light breezes, while the beautiful blue flowers of harebells were just coming into bloom. Up in one cranny of the cliff we found two more very unusual shrubs: highbush cranberry and osier dogwood.
Leaving Saginaw Bay into Frederick Sound, sharp eyes found a vivid pictograph made at some unknown time on an exposed stretch of rock. A red totemic face outlined with rays suggested a sun image, while its fierce expression testified to a deep human impulse to leave its mark upon the earth. At Chatham Strait, the Sea Lion came upon Yasha Island, a haul-out place for dozens of Steller’s sea lions. Blond and massive, the males weigh more than a ton. Sleeping in crowded piles, like enormous puppies, their bodies generated so much heat they sent up clouds of steam. The currents in this area create rich upwellings of nutrients, making it a fertile area for marine wildlife. Several humpback whales were feeding near the surface. One was particularly active, feeding in great lunges. Its mouth gaped while its pleated throat swelled with water and small fish. We watched several humpback whales, animals weighing as much as 40 tons, roll with exquisite grace into deep dives. When they lifted their tail flukes, each individually marked in patterns of black and white, we all cheered in delight.
Coasting Admiralty Island as we made our way north in Chatham Strait, we saw also Dall’s and harbor porpoise. With a glowing overcast, the pewter seas seemed to spawn dark shaped sea birds. We had excellent looks at common and Pacific loons, as well as alcids like common murres and the endangered marbled murrelets. Long lines of sea ducks streamed past us, flying low over the metallic seas. Admiralty Island is famous for its brown bears, boasting the world’s densest population. We entered Hood Bay in quest of bears feeding on the beach grass near the shore. There can be few more rewarding culminations to a day of discovery than what we found: four Alaskan brown bears. Two of them were particularly relaxed, a golden male and a dark, almost black female. In hushed awe we watched the big-shoulder bears for half an hour to end our day.
