Kelp Bay & Lake Eva
This morning we awoke to a lovely Southeast Alaskan watercolor scene. Stately spruce shrouded in misty morning clouds above, reflected in the mirror surface of the inlet below. We cruised two of Kelp Bay's three arms, scanning the shoreline for wildlife and simply enjoying our last morning on deck, cruising Alaska's Inside Passage.
Shortly after lunch, we went ashore for another opportunity to walk in the rainforest, as well as to kayak through a tidal lagoon to the base of a small waterfall. The stream we paddled over and hiked beside was full of fish: Dolly Varden, cutthroat trout and sockeye salmon returning to their natal stream to spawn. It has long been known that Dolly Varden prey on salmon eggs as they are laid in streambed redds, but new research has shown that this may be beneficial to the salmon. Those eggs that come loose from the skein won't hatch, and may even become infected with a fungus that can be harmful to viable eggs still buried in the gravel of the streambed. As Dolly Varden and other egg predators devour the drifting eggs, they remove the infected eggs and reduce the likelihood of disease.
We also saw numerous bald eagles, harbor seals fishing for and eating salmon, colorful wildflowers on the walks and truly experienced the wild solitude of the planet's last great temperate rainforest.
This morning we awoke to a lovely Southeast Alaskan watercolor scene. Stately spruce shrouded in misty morning clouds above, reflected in the mirror surface of the inlet below. We cruised two of Kelp Bay's three arms, scanning the shoreline for wildlife and simply enjoying our last morning on deck, cruising Alaska's Inside Passage.
Shortly after lunch, we went ashore for another opportunity to walk in the rainforest, as well as to kayak through a tidal lagoon to the base of a small waterfall. The stream we paddled over and hiked beside was full of fish: Dolly Varden, cutthroat trout and sockeye salmon returning to their natal stream to spawn. It has long been known that Dolly Varden prey on salmon eggs as they are laid in streambed redds, but new research has shown that this may be beneficial to the salmon. Those eggs that come loose from the skein won't hatch, and may even become infected with a fungus that can be harmful to viable eggs still buried in the gravel of the streambed. As Dolly Varden and other egg predators devour the drifting eggs, they remove the infected eggs and reduce the likelihood of disease.
We also saw numerous bald eagles, harbor seals fishing for and eating salmon, colorful wildflowers on the walks and truly experienced the wild solitude of the planet's last great temperate rainforest.
