Freshwater Bay, Cruising
An overcast morning greeted us at Freshwater Bay, on the shores of Chichagof Island. Today we had a day rich in wildlife sightings. We explored by kayak, Zodiac, and by foot. We traveled the shorelines during an extreme low tide. Myriads of intertidal creatures were exposed. We could observe the different strata of intertidal communities, and the stories that unfold when the tide drops. Clear lines mark the highest that sea stars choose to go to hunt for blue mussels. Ochre stars and giant plumose anemones could be seen just under the water’s surface. Many visitors showed admiration for the fact that there are so many colorful creatures in the cold waters of southeast Alaska. We had a glimpse of two minks running into the forest with their prized prey that they had just caught on the exposed rocks.
The Sitka spruce and western hemlocks near the shore, and the algae covered rocks, provided excellent perching platforms for a number of bald eagles. They patiently observe the water in search for a meal. It is hard to count how many bald eagles we see in a morning, but first we saw three in front of our boat, and as they took off, we realized there were four, six...many!
Pavlov Harbor is an excellent place for exploring the temperate rain forest by foot. Most of the trails we use are not man made, but bear made. This bear trails extend like webs under the old growth forest, which is home to these totemic creatures.
Later in the morning, a mother brown bear and her cub emerged from the forest to feed on coastal sedges. Chichagof Island has brown bears as its only species, and their populations are very healthy. The big mother allowed us, from our Zodiacs, to see her and her cub of just over a year of age, for an extended period of time.
We spent our last afternoon of the journey exploring the water from the ship. We had great encounters with the ocean’s fastest cetaceans; Dall’s porpoises. These marine mammals remind us of miniature orca, having black and white patterns on their bodies.
Basket bay was our last destination of the journey. This bay is a true jewel with a magnificent surprise at its end. With our Zodiacs we could admire the shoreline that led to a grotto. This cave is formed by beautiful rocks and surrounded by amazing forest vegetation. As a last surprise, a mother bear and her three yearling cubs were seen feeding on the sedges that grow on the shoreline.
