Chichagof Island, Pavlof Harbor
Timing made all the difference today. For those early birds that get the proverbial worm, well, today they found a large four-legged fuzzy “worm.” At 6:00 a.m. a sow and cub brown bear were sighted on the beach of Chichagof Island. They were just a rumor to the rest of us sleepy heads. As the morning developed, humpback whales made teasing dives near the vessel. Their misty blows hung above the water, adding to the mystery of their brief appearances.
Pavlof Harbor was our playground for the afternoon. Kayaking, hiking and Zodiac cruising gave us a well-rounded introduction to the temperate rainforest of Southeast Alaska. As we pulled into Pavlof Harbor, a brown bear sow and cub came out to the beach, and stayed all afternoon. They grazed on epee sharp spikes of sedges and grasses, like a couple of over-furred bovines. The sow is teaching the cub a circuit for food procurement, a process that could take upwards of three years. They became a background to our activities, and we to theirs.
Kayakers paddled to the falls and contemplated lichen-draped and moss-cloaked forest. Hikers found signs of deer, bear, beaver and spring! Brilliant tiny flowers of shooting star and butterwort stood as testament, along with the bears, that winter was a memory and spring was in full swing.
Timing was everything today, and we discovered our timing to be impeccable for traveling to Southeast Alaska and participating in the wakening of bears, the arrival of whales and the blossoms of spring.
