Tenakee Inlet/Pavlof Harbor
We woke up this morning to a windy, cold day in southeast Alaska. The stretch class was moved inside to the forward lounge to escape the breeze, but as we made our way into Chatham Strait, the wind let up, the sun came out, and the temperature rose to a more comfortable degree. At mid-morning, Birgit Buhleier, a National Geographic expert, gave a spectacular presentation on her work with the Critter Cam, a camera attached to animals to study their behaviors and movements. The presentation covered footage from marine animals such as sharks, seals, sea lions, turtles, whales, penguins, and killer whales. The Critter Cam has allowed scientists to discover many new and interesting characteristics of these animals that have never before been witnessed or documented. For example, the green turtle was thought to have been strictly an herbivore, but footage has shown that they eat, and actually prefer to eat, jellyfish. Also, the Hawaiian Monk seal, which have dwindled down to only 500 individuals, have greatly benefited from the Critter Cam because previous scientific studies and conservation efforts falsely identified their feeding grounds as the protected coral reefs they spend much of their time in. Instead, the Hawaiian Monk seals feed in much deeper waters. Because of the footage of them feeding in these areas, conservationists have now set aside their true feeding grounds in hopes of raising their population. The Critter Cam has had over 750 deployments on 70 species and the stunning footage that Birgit and her colleagues have collected greatly increases the knowledge of and the appreciation for these animals. Thanks, Birgit, for sharing your amazing discoveries!
After lunch we went ashore at Pavlof Harbor for hikes. The weather was beautiful and we were soon shedding our outer layers and applying sunscreen. We made our way along the shoreline to a cascading waterfall with a salmon ladder and then into the forest and along a well defined bear trail. It wasn’t long until we reached a tell-tale sign of the many bears that inhabit Chichagof Island - a tree that suffered deep claw marks and brown hairs stuck to the running sap. As we continued to the lake, we called out “hey bear” to make sure they knew we were around and wouldn’t come across them unexpectedly. They “trail” was muddy, rooted, and overgrown at times, but we had a great time looking at wildflowers, the beautiful scenery, taking countless photographs, and reveling in nature’s magnificence. We even saw a little wood frog, who spends the winter completely frozen and only emerges in the spring when the ice thaws.
To complete the day, back at the ship the hotel staff had set up cocktails and appetizers on the bridge deck and we all celebrated by relaxing and exchanging stories of the day.
