Fox Creek and Inian Islands
One thing that Southeast Alaska has to offer is consistently excellent opportunities to enjoy the wild at its best. Today was no exception. We started out our morning anchored in front of Fox Creek, on Chichagof Island. We explored by land and sea, by foot and kayak. From the Shaw Islands, just in front of Fox Creek, we deployed our colorful kayaks. We traveled through the shores of these two magnificent dots of land surrounded by waters bathed by the Gulf of Alaska.
On shore, we walked through the temperate rain forest. We followed bear trails that crossed small salmon streams, and even a few patches of snow. It was fun to learn about the different plants that can be harvested for eating, and interesting to get to know some of the most violently poisonous plants, like the false hellebore.
A long walk was offered for the more adventurous, and on this longer exploration, we met the Alaskan muskeg for the first time. These open areas in the middle of the forest are quite fascinating, with their carnivorous plants and lodge-pole pines.
The Inian Islands was our destination for the afternoon. This place is like an aquatic Serengeti, teeming with Steller’s sea lions, myriads of birds and more bald eagles than we could take account for. Here, the ripping tides make for spectacular tidal waves and undersea currents. These conditions are ideal for the sea lions to capture skates, halibut, salmon and other species of prey. Today we experienced the Inians at their best. Not only did we witness the spectacular show of the sea lions shaking fish on the surface, but we also had a more unusual encounter.
Far away in the distance, a two-meter tall dorsal fin broke the water’s surface. As we got closer, our wishes became true. A small pod of orca suddenly surrounded two of our Zodiacs. At least three males and a few females showed spectacular behaviors. Some of them breached fully out of the water, and in one occasion, it seemed like they had caught a smaller marine mammal, which was visible for a short period of time. These were some of the most exciting moments for many of us. This place is magnificent and it always has spectacular and unexpected things to offer.
