Icy Straits
In a land of superlatives, Icy Strait is exceptional. The rich color of the world here reflects its fecundity. Deep-green forests, amply watered by the region’s regular rainfall, cloak its hills. Deep-green water, stirred by tidal currents, swirl along its shores.
We awoke in Icy Strait approaching Idaho Inlet, a favorite haunt of sea otters. Before breakfast we saw many of these charming creatures. Sea otters have no blubber, and so depend solely on their fur, the richest in the world, to stave off the ocean’s chill. Hence, they are probably the cleanest of all creatures. Their constant grooming means that even at rest they seem engagingly industrious.
We dropped anchor by Chichagof Island, near Fox Creek. Some paddled kayaks, others went immediately ashore. Breasting through soaking sea grass and ferns, we entered the forest. Here bear activity was everywhere apparent. We found the thoroughly-scavenged remains of a winter-killed deer. We saw skunk cabbage excavated for their starchy roots. We walked on bear trails to clawed trees embedded with fur of passing bruins. After exploring part of the forest, we broke through the brush to find Fox Creek, where we found perhaps why bears like this area so much. The lower reaches of the stream were filled with pink salmon. We saw fish racing through the shallows. The exaggerated, peculiarly arched backs of the males, for which they are nicknamed “humpies”, stood halfway out of the water. We found a pair in the process of spawning. Under the jealous eye of a large male, a female regularly rolled over to beat the gravelly bottom, digging a depression in which she would soon drop her eggs. While some fish were electrified in reproductive frenzy, others were languorous with impending death. Spawned-out salmon, dappled with leprous fungal infections, struggled feebly in the shallows, or clogged the streamsides with their limp bodies. Bloody carcasses, scavenged by eagles only minutes before our approach, lay scattered about the rocks. This was nature at its best – sex and death liberally mingled!
During lunch we motored west, and by afternoon we anchored among the Inian Islands. We lowered Zodiacs to explore more of this extraordinary region. From these comparatively tiny boats, the currents around the Inians were particularly striking. Water flowed like a mighty river, powerful maelstroms swirled, and open ocean swell, meeting tidal currents, formed imposing standing waves. While strong currents might have been the source of anxiety in some, they are certainly the reason for the richness of the ocean here. Currents lift nutrients to the sunlit surface, fertilizing a planktonic food chain that culminates in some of Alaska’s most impressive creatures. And we found them! Huge sea lions, some as heavy as a buffalo bull, lounged on the rocks, eyed us with suspicion, and bellowed belligerently. Many of the largest sea lions, irascible and imposing, reclined in solitary splendor. Others, often somewhat smaller, deigned to accept company, and so sprawled in congested heaps. It was memorable to see the ‘lions, to hear them, and also to smell them! We also found squadrons of sea lions afloat. These sea lions were younger, and imbued with youthful vigor and curiosity. Like packs of frisky puppies, they were shy yet intrigued. They seemed to dare one another to approach our Zodaics, nosing nearer and nearer, until, with a dramatic splash, they danced away. We came to the Inians expecting sea lions, we were surprised by the whales. Several groups of humbacks, paired or by the half-dozen, patrolled the waters around us. As we floated, engines idling, groups of whales suddenly surfaced, and swam by, sometimes just a few tens of feet away. Hearing the piston-like sounds of their breathing, seeing the water streaming from their broad backs, marveling at the grace and inexorability of their descending tail flukes – all were powerful experiences.
Icy Strait is aptly thought to be among Alaska’s finest places. And today, the variety and richness of our experience left all surprised and none disappointed.
In a land of superlatives, Icy Strait is exceptional. The rich color of the world here reflects its fecundity. Deep-green forests, amply watered by the region’s regular rainfall, cloak its hills. Deep-green water, stirred by tidal currents, swirl along its shores.
We awoke in Icy Strait approaching Idaho Inlet, a favorite haunt of sea otters. Before breakfast we saw many of these charming creatures. Sea otters have no blubber, and so depend solely on their fur, the richest in the world, to stave off the ocean’s chill. Hence, they are probably the cleanest of all creatures. Their constant grooming means that even at rest they seem engagingly industrious.
We dropped anchor by Chichagof Island, near Fox Creek. Some paddled kayaks, others went immediately ashore. Breasting through soaking sea grass and ferns, we entered the forest. Here bear activity was everywhere apparent. We found the thoroughly-scavenged remains of a winter-killed deer. We saw skunk cabbage excavated for their starchy roots. We walked on bear trails to clawed trees embedded with fur of passing bruins. After exploring part of the forest, we broke through the brush to find Fox Creek, where we found perhaps why bears like this area so much. The lower reaches of the stream were filled with pink salmon. We saw fish racing through the shallows. The exaggerated, peculiarly arched backs of the males, for which they are nicknamed “humpies”, stood halfway out of the water. We found a pair in the process of spawning. Under the jealous eye of a large male, a female regularly rolled over to beat the gravelly bottom, digging a depression in which she would soon drop her eggs. While some fish were electrified in reproductive frenzy, others were languorous with impending death. Spawned-out salmon, dappled with leprous fungal infections, struggled feebly in the shallows, or clogged the streamsides with their limp bodies. Bloody carcasses, scavenged by eagles only minutes before our approach, lay scattered about the rocks. This was nature at its best – sex and death liberally mingled!
During lunch we motored west, and by afternoon we anchored among the Inian Islands. We lowered Zodiacs to explore more of this extraordinary region. From these comparatively tiny boats, the currents around the Inians were particularly striking. Water flowed like a mighty river, powerful maelstroms swirled, and open ocean swell, meeting tidal currents, formed imposing standing waves. While strong currents might have been the source of anxiety in some, they are certainly the reason for the richness of the ocean here. Currents lift nutrients to the sunlit surface, fertilizing a planktonic food chain that culminates in some of Alaska’s most impressive creatures. And we found them! Huge sea lions, some as heavy as a buffalo bull, lounged on the rocks, eyed us with suspicion, and bellowed belligerently. Many of the largest sea lions, irascible and imposing, reclined in solitary splendor. Others, often somewhat smaller, deigned to accept company, and so sprawled in congested heaps. It was memorable to see the ‘lions, to hear them, and also to smell them! We also found squadrons of sea lions afloat. These sea lions were younger, and imbued with youthful vigor and curiosity. Like packs of frisky puppies, they were shy yet intrigued. They seemed to dare one another to approach our Zodaics, nosing nearer and nearer, until, with a dramatic splash, they danced away. We came to the Inians expecting sea lions, we were surprised by the whales. Several groups of humbacks, paired or by the half-dozen, patrolled the waters around us. As we floated, engines idling, groups of whales suddenly surfaced, and swam by, sometimes just a few tens of feet away. Hearing the piston-like sounds of their breathing, seeing the water streaming from their broad backs, marveling at the grace and inexorability of their descending tail flukes – all were powerful experiences.
Icy Strait is aptly thought to be among Alaska’s finest places. And today, the variety and richness of our experience left all surprised and none disappointed.
