Icy Strait
Silver skies were reflected in the calm waters of Icy Strait during the early morning hours. As the Sea Lion approached Point Adolphus our “whale juju” kicked in and a group of humpback whales surfaced just off the point. With the waters so calm and the air so still you could hear the wonderful exchange of air as these great giants prepared to go down for another dive. Closer to shore a small group of Steller sea lions created a small boil as they frolicked at the surface.
We then sailed west towards Fox Creek on Chichagof Island. Once ashore we made our way through the tall devil’s club and cow parsnip and entered an enchanted forest of Sitka spruce and western hemlock. To the south a small salmon stream wormed its way down from the hills while to the north lay a large open bog. As we made our way through the woods we came upon a large set of bear trails (see photo above). Why the bears create such trails is still a mystery. However, you can see how the bears use the same tracks over and over again creating deep furrows in the soil.
In the afternoon Captain Kalbach sailed the ship through the narrow passage of South Inian Pass and happened upon sea otters, harbor seals and a Steller sea lion haul out. Through the liquid sunshine we were able to observe a sea otter mother and pup, a recently mated female and sea otters dining on invertebrates. We felt very fortunate to have an opportunity to see a creature that was nearly wiped out by the early fur trade in Alaska.
Just before dinner we headed into Barlett Cove to pick up Nikki Koehler from the National Park Service at Glacier Bay National Park. She is working on a project monitoring the effects of vessel traffic on humpback whales within Glacier Bay National Park. Consequently, while we recited bear poetry in the lounge, Captain Kolbach and Nikki worked with land based researchers so they could record the sound signature of our ship. After feasting, we braved the rain and explored the lush forest and cozy lodge of Bartlett Cove.
Silver skies were reflected in the calm waters of Icy Strait during the early morning hours. As the Sea Lion approached Point Adolphus our “whale juju” kicked in and a group of humpback whales surfaced just off the point. With the waters so calm and the air so still you could hear the wonderful exchange of air as these great giants prepared to go down for another dive. Closer to shore a small group of Steller sea lions created a small boil as they frolicked at the surface.
We then sailed west towards Fox Creek on Chichagof Island. Once ashore we made our way through the tall devil’s club and cow parsnip and entered an enchanted forest of Sitka spruce and western hemlock. To the south a small salmon stream wormed its way down from the hills while to the north lay a large open bog. As we made our way through the woods we came upon a large set of bear trails (see photo above). Why the bears create such trails is still a mystery. However, you can see how the bears use the same tracks over and over again creating deep furrows in the soil.
In the afternoon Captain Kalbach sailed the ship through the narrow passage of South Inian Pass and happened upon sea otters, harbor seals and a Steller sea lion haul out. Through the liquid sunshine we were able to observe a sea otter mother and pup, a recently mated female and sea otters dining on invertebrates. We felt very fortunate to have an opportunity to see a creature that was nearly wiped out by the early fur trade in Alaska.
Just before dinner we headed into Barlett Cove to pick up Nikki Koehler from the National Park Service at Glacier Bay National Park. She is working on a project monitoring the effects of vessel traffic on humpback whales within Glacier Bay National Park. Consequently, while we recited bear poetry in the lounge, Captain Kolbach and Nikki worked with land based researchers so they could record the sound signature of our ship. After feasting, we braved the rain and explored the lush forest and cozy lodge of Bartlett Cove.
