Aboard the Sea Lion
Last evening, after a close display of humpback whales silhouetted against a gorgeous sunset, the National Geographic Sea Lion anchored off of Cape Fanshaw, on the mainland 35 miles north of Petersburg. In the early morning hours, the ship made its way into Port Houghton, another deep fjord cutting east-west across the belts of sedimentary and metamorphic rocks formed several hundred million years ago when crustal plates from the west were pushed eastward under the North American Continent.
While we enjoyed breakfast near the head of Port Houghton, the Naturalists scouted out our morning walks along the meadows and forest. We boarded the Zodiacs for a short ride to a beach of glacial gravel, en route observing tidal exposures of sandstones and siltstones deposited millions of years ago as horizontal beds but now rotated into a vertical position and cut by veins of white quartz.
In the meadows, we observed a magnificent display of wildflowers, highlighted by fields of Northern Rice Plant, Nootka Lupine, marigold, violets, Northern Star Flower, and many others. During our ten-minute nap on our backs in the meadow, we viewed flocks of Canada Goose, musters of Northwestern Crow, and pairs of Arctic Tern and Harlequin Duck. The forest displayed magnificent, moss-covered Sitka spruce as well as the calls of the Varied Thrush and American Robin. A special treat was Coralroot, a pink saprophytic orchid.
In the tide pools, we observed battalions of sea urchins, as well as True Star, Sea Anemone, and many other intertidal invertebrates. When the salmon begin to run in a few weeks, the streams flowing into Port Houghton undoubtedly will be prime areas to find bears, eagles and other predators feasting on the fish as they return to spawn in fresh water.
After lunch back on the National Geographic Sea Lion, we headed west into Frederick Sound in search of humpback whales. We had a short but good show as we entered Stevens Passage en route to Five Finger Lighthouse at the juncture of Stephens Passage and Frederick Sound. The original lighthouse was constructed in 1902 but burned down 21 years later. The present lighthouse dates from 1935, has been automated since the 1970, and currently is being restored by the Juneau Lighthouse Association.
We continued west into Frederick Sound past East and West Brother Islands, composed of 100-million-year-old basalt. Sighting several spouts in the distance, we turned west towards the rugged, snow-covered mountains of Baranof Island in the far distance. We were treated to an excellent display of humpbacks noisily breathing at the surface and then displaying identifying patterns on their flukes as they dove to feed at depth. In the distance we could hear the snorting of sea lions on the islet west of West Brother.
The National Geographic Sea Lion then turned northeast between East and West Brother Island. As we sailed past Pybus and Gambier Bays on the east side of Admiralty Island into Stephens Passage, we were treated to a discussion of the flora and fauna of Alaskan temperate forest, boreal forest, and Arctic tundra, presented by Naturalist Doug Gualtieri.
