Inian Islands & Fox Creek
This morning an early wake up call was the indication of something really special going on. To start the day, humpback whales could practically be seen in any direction we looked. A pair of them got everyone’s attention by breaching repeatedly. How exciting to see two whales getting airborne simultaneously!
One of our favorite places for Zodiac cruises in the Alexander Archipelago is the Inian Islands. Here the tidal difference is quite dramatic. There are only a few places where the inside passage is fed by the open ocean which means that the currents here can be extremely powerful and full of migrating salmon. Steller’s sea lions take advantage of this by chasing them underwater. We saw numerous large male sea lions shaking big salmon into smaller pieces so they could be swallowed, while opportunistic glaucous-wing gulls awaited an easy meal. In addition to this spectacle, we got to see our first tufted puffins, sea otters, ancient murrelets and several other species. Cruising through this productive and diverse environment is hard to explain with words; it must be experienced first hand.
Later in the afternoon we had a chance to kayak around the Shaw Islands. We can occasionally listen to distant humpback whale blows as our kayaks take us over the luscious kelp forests.
Hikes also took place at Fox creek, a location where coastal brown bears don’t have to be seen to have their presence felt. Many signs were observed—scratched trees, perennial bear tracks and even the very trails we use for hiking! This is their home and here we can venture into a wild environment as their guests. A longer and a more interpretive hikes were taken, the more we understand the more it all makes sense, making us feel as part of it.
