George and Inian Islands

A bonus to shipboard travel is that you wake up in a different setting each morning, never knowing quite what to anticipate. Today the National Geographic Sea Bird rested in Idaho Inlet, named for the steamer Idaho, that ran aground here around 1884. Sea otters dotted the calm surface. These appealing creatures spend most of the time floating on their backs with their floppy hind feet sticking in the air. Unlike most marine mammals that are insulated by blubber, the otters keep warm with air trapped in their dense fur, the soft gold that lured early entrepreneurs to Alaska. Breakfast was slightly disrupted by a breaching humpback calf and its mother. The youngster launched itself repeatedly, so everyone managed to get excellent looks and still find time to eat something before our morning outings.

Our anchor dropped noisily in Granite Cove at George Island, where we planned to kayak and hike. This site was manned by about 40 people during World War II to protect the region from a Japanese invasion. A 6-inch gun still remains along with other evidence of those who resided here. In addition to the rich human history, this island has fascinating natural features and scenic views. Hikers strolled a short distance to a beach facing the open Pacific to search for intertidal life or play family games. Others climbed a well-maintained trail to the gun that still faces Cross Sound and the distant Brady Glacier. Kayakers paddled over dense underwater forests of seaweed and spotted bright orange and purple sea stars. Bull kelp looks like a long hose with a floating ball on one end. This species, along with giant kelp, wing kelp and many other types form a biologically complex environment for fish, invertebrates, and sea otters. Cormorants, glaucous-winged gulls, and a pair of oystercatchers stood on the rugged shoreline until a pair of peregrine falcons flushed them from their perches as we paddled by.

Not far from our morning landing lie the Inians, a cluster of small islands where immense sea lions hunt for fish and bald eagles gathered on nearby trees. We launched the fleet of Zodiacs and set off to watch this activity from sea level. Steller’s sea lions are the largest of their type in the world, with the biggest males reaching up to 2,400 pounds. Their throaty, wavering growls are nothing like the more familiar barking of their smaller relatives, the California sea lions. In addition to these impressive pinnipeds, we spotted sea otters, several puffins, and even humpback whales!

Dinner tonight was a special experience. The young and young at heart ate pizza and watched a movie in the lounge while others dined on halibut and lamb in the dining room. After dinner there were even more whales. What an exciting finale for an action-packed day!