Red Bluff Bay & Kelp Bay
We awoke to a view absent of just about everything but dense fog. Later, those standing on the bow watched outlines of a rugged shore take shape like a photographic print being developed. Once the resolution became crisp, we looked into a spectacular scene of dramatically steep, forest-covered slopes draped with veils of thin clouds hanging amongst trees. A turbulent mass of frothing white water dumped endlessly from a high crest and tumbled hundreds of feet into the sea as we passed. Soon we were intently searching for bears in the broad meadow that filled the end of the fiord. It was good to find two brown and hairy forms that moved slowly through the tall beach rye grass. Bears validate wild places.
Later that morning we passed harbor and Dall’s porpoises before arriving at Yasha Island. This important haul-out is strategically located between Fredrick Sound and Chatham Strait and offers the perfect location for Northern sea lions to loaf. Their growling sounds rolled over the water and out to us. Most of them sprawled over rocks, while others seemed to play at fighting. Harbor seals lay closer to the water, and two sea otters bounced upward out of the kelp and briefly gawked at us.
The South Arm of Kelp Bay offers one of the best examples of what Southeast Alaska has to offer. Its deeply cut fiord ends in a meadow full of the tracks of bears. Portions of the streams are dark with chum salmon that support the bald eagles that perch nearby. Stunning snow-capped peaks form the backdrop of this gem.
Kayakers launched and slid into an alternate reality. A world where sounds take on a rich unusual depth and scenery overwhelms you. Maybe when you’re that close to the water your perspective changes. Why doesn’t it change when you’re sitting on your floor at home?
Exploratory hikers ventured off to find fields of deep purple irises, wild geraniums, lipstick-red Indian paintbrush, shiny buttercups and cinquefoil, chocolate lilies and bears. As the longer hikers made their way through the salmonberries and onto a river bed, a brown bear rounded a corner, stopped and stared. Odd looking creatures stood up on their hind legs while waving their two front legs, yelling, clapping, and making noises. What a strange sight for a bear. It continued on its way, not a bit impressed and soon turned back into the forest never changing its intended route.
Kayakers and several Zodiac tours later watched a bear that grazed near the shoreline. Soon we were back into Chatham Strait on a northward heading as the day drew to a close. A lobtailing humpback was the last wild animal of the day.
We awoke to a view absent of just about everything but dense fog. Later, those standing on the bow watched outlines of a rugged shore take shape like a photographic print being developed. Once the resolution became crisp, we looked into a spectacular scene of dramatically steep, forest-covered slopes draped with veils of thin clouds hanging amongst trees. A turbulent mass of frothing white water dumped endlessly from a high crest and tumbled hundreds of feet into the sea as we passed. Soon we were intently searching for bears in the broad meadow that filled the end of the fiord. It was good to find two brown and hairy forms that moved slowly through the tall beach rye grass. Bears validate wild places.
Later that morning we passed harbor and Dall’s porpoises before arriving at Yasha Island. This important haul-out is strategically located between Fredrick Sound and Chatham Strait and offers the perfect location for Northern sea lions to loaf. Their growling sounds rolled over the water and out to us. Most of them sprawled over rocks, while others seemed to play at fighting. Harbor seals lay closer to the water, and two sea otters bounced upward out of the kelp and briefly gawked at us.
The South Arm of Kelp Bay offers one of the best examples of what Southeast Alaska has to offer. Its deeply cut fiord ends in a meadow full of the tracks of bears. Portions of the streams are dark with chum salmon that support the bald eagles that perch nearby. Stunning snow-capped peaks form the backdrop of this gem.
Kayakers launched and slid into an alternate reality. A world where sounds take on a rich unusual depth and scenery overwhelms you. Maybe when you’re that close to the water your perspective changes. Why doesn’t it change when you’re sitting on your floor at home?
Exploratory hikers ventured off to find fields of deep purple irises, wild geraniums, lipstick-red Indian paintbrush, shiny buttercups and cinquefoil, chocolate lilies and bears. As the longer hikers made their way through the salmonberries and onto a river bed, a brown bear rounded a corner, stopped and stared. Odd looking creatures stood up on their hind legs while waving their two front legs, yelling, clapping, and making noises. What a strange sight for a bear. It continued on its way, not a bit impressed and soon turned back into the forest never changing its intended route.
Kayakers and several Zodiac tours later watched a bear that grazed near the shoreline. Soon we were back into Chatham Strait on a northward heading as the day drew to a close. A lobtailing humpback was the last wild animal of the day.
