This morning brought us to Granite Cove on George Island, a cluster of small islands at the edge of Port Althorp. Our morning was spent exploring this small island and all of its wonders. Seabirds nest here, marine mammals often swim nearby, and views of the Fairweather Mountains amaze the eyes. Exposed to the Gulf of Alaska and the open Pacific Ocean, it was the site of a World War II gun emplacement designed to protect the northern entrance to the Inland Passage. Whether by kayak, expedition landing craft cruise, hiking, or a combination there of, we were all able to find something that astonished us.
We returned to the ship at morning’s end for nourishment as National Geographic Sea Bird made the short trek to Elfin Cove, a small fishing enclave. Elfin Cove has a year-round population of about a dozen people and about the same number of dogs. Long-time resident Mary Jo Lord-Wild will come on board to tell us about her home and how it is changing. In recent years, a handful of fishing lodges have located here to take advantage of the proximity to the biologically rich waters of the Gulf of Alaska where salmon and halibut are caught in great numbers. Boardwalks enabled us to explore this friendly community, chat with some of the residents, and enjoy the picturesque setting.
In the early afternoon we departed for yet another adventure in this beautiful area across from Glacier Bay, the Inian Islands. Zodiac cruises were the vehicle for this adventure while the Sea Bird remained safely anchored at the “Hobbit Hole.” Nearby Inian Passage is a constriction through which a huge amount of water flows as tides change every six hours and large amounts of water are transferred between the Pacific Ocean and Icy Strait, making it a very biologically abundant area. We spotted large numbers of male Steller sea lions, sea otters, various gulls, bald eagles, pelagic cormorants, and other seabirds as we plied the waters around these beautiful islands.
