The morning greeted us with thick fog. Through shreds of mist, patches of sunlight made brief appearances on the mountain slopes as our ship was surrounded by humpback whales. The ship slowed to a crawl and we could hear the whales breathing all around us, quietly feeding on small fish. The water was flat and mirror-like, reflecting the pastel blues and purples of the morning fog. After breakfast, the fog lifted and we searched for wildlife. Dall’s porpoise blazed past, black and white bodies bounding through the waves. A humpback whale breached spectacularly in front of the ship and slapped the water with its long pectoral fins. Emily Mount presented a talk on the salmon of southeast Alaska in preparation for afternoon adventures.
Afternoon operations were focused on Lake Eva, a delightful lake at the end of a meandering forest trail. Half the guests tromped out on a long exercise hike, ending at a small stand of giant old growth spruce trees. Others had a more moderate stroll through the forest, exploring the lichens and fungus, flowers, and wildlife signs. Everyone had great views of salmon swimming upstream, intent upon their final life mission. Kayakers took to their boats, paddling into a protected lagoon with harbor seals and salmon swimming around them. Fantastic weather followed us for the day, and people enjoyed the unusual conditions of t-shirt temperatures.
In the evening, Dr. Andy Szabo from the Alaska Whale Foundation joined us for an exciting talk on humpback whales.
