George & Inian Islands
This morning we awoke to the fog and furred friends of Idaho Inlet. The National Geographic Sea Lion quietly crawled along the shores of northern Chichagof Island searching for sea otters. Rising from our berths with hot drinks in hand we met on the bow and observed a species at risk in parts of its range. The sea otter is the only marine mammal without blubber and where it lacks in fat it makes up for with a dense pelage of fur once referred to as “soft gold”. The constant grooming of fur allows a layer of trapped air to prevent heat loss across the body’s surface. Compensating for their small body size (and no blubber) they have increased metabolism that finds them eating 25% of their weight a day! Russian exploration of Alaska in 1741 was the beginning of the demise of this creature, whose fur was highly sought after. It wasn’t long after Captain Vitus Bering and Chrikov’s voyages that Russians occupied the Aleutian Islands, Kodiak and Sitka harvesting otter everywhere they went. In 1911 otters were protected and given the chance to rebound from the devastating harvests.
From Idaho Inlet we made our way to George Island where by kayak, foot and Zodiac we esplored the forest and intertidal. On the trail hikers encountered the banana slug and revealing stories were shared regarding their procreation. At the gun emplacement we learned about a part of Alaska’s forgotten past; the guarding of the Pacific, the bombing of Dutch Harbor and the occupation of some of the Aleutian Islands. On the water, boaters bobbed above crystalline waters of the granite substrate and were awarded with the treasures of the low tide. Sea stars, anemones, puffins and cormorants painted the perfect foreground in the realm of the temperate rainforest.
Picking up the hook we relocated to the nearby Inian Islands where we loaded into the transporters that would take us into the lives and denizen of the Steller sea lions. A species in peril in much of its range, you would never know from the playful spirit of this wild animal the difficulties it faces. Curiously swimming about the Zodiacs, thrashing fish from side to side these impressive mammals were at ease in the current that ripped through the channel.
To end the day we visited Elfin Cove, which gave us a glimpse into a thriving fishing community in bush Alaska. Accessible only by boat or float (plane) we could only imagine what it would be like to winter here… or anywhere in Alaska.
This morning we awoke to the fog and furred friends of Idaho Inlet. The National Geographic Sea Lion quietly crawled along the shores of northern Chichagof Island searching for sea otters. Rising from our berths with hot drinks in hand we met on the bow and observed a species at risk in parts of its range. The sea otter is the only marine mammal without blubber and where it lacks in fat it makes up for with a dense pelage of fur once referred to as “soft gold”. The constant grooming of fur allows a layer of trapped air to prevent heat loss across the body’s surface. Compensating for their small body size (and no blubber) they have increased metabolism that finds them eating 25% of their weight a day! Russian exploration of Alaska in 1741 was the beginning of the demise of this creature, whose fur was highly sought after. It wasn’t long after Captain Vitus Bering and Chrikov’s voyages that Russians occupied the Aleutian Islands, Kodiak and Sitka harvesting otter everywhere they went. In 1911 otters were protected and given the chance to rebound from the devastating harvests.
From Idaho Inlet we made our way to George Island where by kayak, foot and Zodiac we esplored the forest and intertidal. On the trail hikers encountered the banana slug and revealing stories were shared regarding their procreation. At the gun emplacement we learned about a part of Alaska’s forgotten past; the guarding of the Pacific, the bombing of Dutch Harbor and the occupation of some of the Aleutian Islands. On the water, boaters bobbed above crystalline waters of the granite substrate and were awarded with the treasures of the low tide. Sea stars, anemones, puffins and cormorants painted the perfect foreground in the realm of the temperate rainforest.
Picking up the hook we relocated to the nearby Inian Islands where we loaded into the transporters that would take us into the lives and denizen of the Steller sea lions. A species in peril in much of its range, you would never know from the playful spirit of this wild animal the difficulties it faces. Curiously swimming about the Zodiacs, thrashing fish from side to side these impressive mammals were at ease in the current that ripped through the channel.
To end the day we visited Elfin Cove, which gave us a glimpse into a thriving fishing community in bush Alaska. Accessible only by boat or float (plane) we could only imagine what it would be like to winter here… or anywhere in Alaska.
