Chatham Strait & Hanus Bay
Although Southeast Alaska’s Inside Passage is known for its typically calm waters, the blustery weather of late summer can certainly ruffle the seas. For this reason, no calm day in September should go unappreciated. We began this calm day with whales. Humpback whales raising their tail flukes as they dove deeply, then lunging to the surface several minutes later, either with mouth agape as they fed on herring, or simply awing us with their loud, trumpeting exhalations. In the midst of these whales, we watched Steller sea lions snorting and cavorting; the scene was truly a feast for the senses. And this was all before breakfast…
Just as we were finishing our morning meal, the Chief Mate called with a bear sighting. We hurried out on deck, and into an impossibly beautiful scene. Motoring slowly toward the head of Kelp Bay’s South Arm, we saw the snowy high peaks of Baranof Island reflected in the mirror-calm water before us. Although the bears only showed themselves occasionally over the next half hour, our attention was held rapt by bald eagles bickering over salmon, hundreds of gulls calling and eighty-three harbor seals, in various pelages, hauled out on the muddy beach exposed by the low tide. We marveled at the abundance of life, even as these creatures seemed oblivious to our presence.
Through the remainder of the morning, we watched another brown bear alternately meander the shore and hide in the alders. Later, we tracked a solitary humpback, surfacing and diving every six minutes. As we cruised north in Chatham Strait, many of us just appreciated the fine weather by spending time on deck.
Our afternoon was filled with more exploration of this rare ancient forest, as we hiked along Eva Creek and kayaked in the tidal lagoon at its base. Schools of pink salmon pushed their way up the creek and a low cascade to the calm resting pool above. Watching from the bank, we saw smaller cutthroat trout and dolly varden char moving among the schools of salmon, preying on eggs that had floated free of the gravel. One group found an ancient Sitka spruce, taking ten people with outstretched arms to encircle it. Bald eagles flew overhead, and there were signs of brown bears everywhere. Kayakers sat silently on the lagoon’s mirror surface, watching, and being watched by, curious harbor seals. Everyone agreed that this was the essence of wild Alaska.
Although Southeast Alaska’s Inside Passage is known for its typically calm waters, the blustery weather of late summer can certainly ruffle the seas. For this reason, no calm day in September should go unappreciated. We began this calm day with whales. Humpback whales raising their tail flukes as they dove deeply, then lunging to the surface several minutes later, either with mouth agape as they fed on herring, or simply awing us with their loud, trumpeting exhalations. In the midst of these whales, we watched Steller sea lions snorting and cavorting; the scene was truly a feast for the senses. And this was all before breakfast…
Just as we were finishing our morning meal, the Chief Mate called with a bear sighting. We hurried out on deck, and into an impossibly beautiful scene. Motoring slowly toward the head of Kelp Bay’s South Arm, we saw the snowy high peaks of Baranof Island reflected in the mirror-calm water before us. Although the bears only showed themselves occasionally over the next half hour, our attention was held rapt by bald eagles bickering over salmon, hundreds of gulls calling and eighty-three harbor seals, in various pelages, hauled out on the muddy beach exposed by the low tide. We marveled at the abundance of life, even as these creatures seemed oblivious to our presence.
Through the remainder of the morning, we watched another brown bear alternately meander the shore and hide in the alders. Later, we tracked a solitary humpback, surfacing and diving every six minutes. As we cruised north in Chatham Strait, many of us just appreciated the fine weather by spending time on deck.
Our afternoon was filled with more exploration of this rare ancient forest, as we hiked along Eva Creek and kayaked in the tidal lagoon at its base. Schools of pink salmon pushed their way up the creek and a low cascade to the calm resting pool above. Watching from the bank, we saw smaller cutthroat trout and dolly varden char moving among the schools of salmon, preying on eggs that had floated free of the gravel. One group found an ancient Sitka spruce, taking ten people with outstretched arms to encircle it. Bald eagles flew overhead, and there were signs of brown bears everywhere. Kayakers sat silently on the lagoon’s mirror surface, watching, and being watched by, curious harbor seals. Everyone agreed that this was the essence of wild Alaska.
