Klewnuggit Inlet, Grenville Channel
It was a cold morning, sprinkling weather. All wet. But the view was marvelous. Eventually we stopped and anchored deep inside Klewnuggit Inlet, surrounded by mountains everywhere, the high ones still covered in snow. After breakfast we began our activities in the Inlet, kayaking, hiking and enjoying a tour in a Zodiac. Those of us who signed up for hiking had a pleasant (??) surprise: the tide was coming up, and every so often we had to walk to higher ground to avoid getting our feet wet. We enjoyed walking along the seaside, as there was no possibility of climbing up the steep granitic rocks up into the forest. It was here at the edge of the forest that we saw some skunk cabbage, with its incredibly yellow flowers called spathes. There, we learned about barnacles and seaweed, the Fucus or rock kelp. After seeing quite a few interesting plants, we were taken by Zodiac back to the ship or to walk some more. And it was during the Kayak rides that we saw a lovely river otter climbing up a rock at the seashore, and a few seconds later sliding down another rock into the water, coming up every so often to offer us a better view of itself every time! Earlier on, our expedition leader saw two mink at the seaside!
Meanwhile, the kayakers were having themselves a good time as well. Bald eagles everywhere, many shorebirds and two incredible large sand-hill cranes! Gulls, different duck species, geese and yellowlegs were competing with us for space in the shallow mudflats.
After this good morning, we all returned to our ship and set out northward again, towards the U.S. border. The afternoon was devoted to bird watching.
