Cross Sound - George Island, Elfin Cove and the Inian Islands
Early this morning the National Geographic Sea Lion began her approach to one of the most western and outside islands we would be visiting during our voyage. Just before breakfast we anchored in Granite Cove off George Island located in Cross Sound, a passage that runs between the northern end of Chichagof Island and Glacier Bay National Park.
George Island is exposed to the Gulf of Alaska and the open Pacific Ocean. It was also the site of a World War II gunnery emplacement designed to protect the northern entrance to the Inland Passage of Southeast Alaska. George Island is extremely small and a walk to the gun emplacement at the western end of the island and a shorter walk to a beach across from our landing site were both offered...along with kayaking in and around Granite Cove. It was a grey-on-grey day, with shades of dark green...mist hanging in the air and clouds on the water’s surface all adding to the mystery and the magic that is the Northwest Coast.
The hikes provided great views out into the Pacific where humpback whales were making their way into Cross Sound and the rich waters of summer in Southeast Alaska. Many seabirds and a very relaxed sea otter all added to the Zodiac tours that circumnavigated George Island.
After returning to the Sea Lion in the late morning, we were all invited to the forward lounge to meet local resident Mary Jo Lord-Wild, who has lived in the tiny village of Elfin Cove for more than forty years. Zodiacs brought everyone into the main harbor and float plane dock of Elfin Cove. Boardwalks provided access for everyone interested in exploring this friendly and very tiny hamlet!
In the late afternoon we repositioned the Sea Lion a short distance to the Hobbit Hole for some of the most outstanding and spectacular Zodiac rides in Southeast Alaska. Inian Passage is a constriction through which a huge amount of ocean water must flow during the tidal changes that occur every six hours. These waters are some of the richest in the area and our hope was to take time and see what the incoming waters would bring us. Sea otters were found in a kelp bed just after our departure from the Sea Lion...followed by myriad seabirds and many bald eagles sitting in spruce trees, also hoping for a break in the misty day.
Continuing towards Inian Pass we found a good sized haul-out for Steller sea lions. The roar and smell found us first as we approached these large animals, relaxing on the haul-out in the center of Inian Pass. Continuing through the current eddies we watched as many a sea lion surfaced with a salmon, shaking its head from side to side, breaking apart the fish into bite-size pieces...the leavings being picked off the surface of the sea by small groups of glaucous-winged gulls and black-legged kittiwakes.
All the Zodiacs made their way around one of the larger islands into more tidal eddies and found a small group of humpback whales also finding nourishing rewards in the abundant waters of Cross Sound. The whales made many close approaches to the Zodiacs and despite the continued misty weather, shouts of joy could be heard from each Zodiac as we found ourselves sitting still in the sea while 45 tons of marine mammal swam visibly underneath each small vessel.
