Chichagof Island, Idaho Inlet, Fox Creek
An adorability of sea otters busied themselves with their morning ablutions. It is amazing the grooming that can be accomplished while bobbing on your back. The backdrop for these weasels and their hygienic habits was Idaho Inlet, a long indention on the northern shore of Chichagof Island.
Flowers, not to be thwarted by intermittent rainsqualls, held their showy petals skyward; bright lipstick pink on the nagoon berries, buttery yellows on the silverweed, and brilliant orange bracts on the Alaska paintbrush. All defied the threats of foul weather in their efforts to procreate. The shooting star, an upside-down little gem, refused to give up its dusty dry pollen on this exuberantly moist morning, it was waiting for the sonic buzz of a bumblebee to trigger its explosion of gametes.
The forest held signs of bears around every corner. There were the soggy piles of bear scat, but soon we found perkier piles, fresh and still abuzz with insect activity. Several bear scratch trees were admired, we would have made for very short bears, and a bear day-bed was discovered as well. The most impressive findings were the tracks in the slick mud. Crisp prints showing a well-defined heel pad, five toe pads and gouges made by the long claws. These bruin impressions left us all looking down in amazement, and then slowly up in cautious anticipation.
We took to our Zodiacs in the Inian Islands for the afternoon. The adorability factor of a Steller sea lion is not on the same par with the sea otters. However, the sea lions’ size was impressive, as well as the olfactory element we experienced as we passed by their rocky haul-out on the downwind side. With the incoming tide, the meal of the day, or the fish du jour, was delivered and the hungry pinnipeds wasted no time in catching, flinging into pieces and gorging themselves on fresh fish.
For the evening we are navigating slowly towards the entrance of Glacier Bay National Park. We have a slalom course of humpback whales to navigate through in order to get there. They are one of the many incredible sights we have had privilege to experience today in the rich waters of Southeast Alaska.
