Today we visited one of our very favorite places in the Inside Passage. The Inian Islands are a set of small dots of land, located in the immensely productive waters of Cross Sound. We embarked our expedition landing craft, and headed into a real wildlife adventure. Humpback wales could be seen in almost every direction. Their blows lined the horizon and the sound of their exhalations submerged us into an atmosphere of true wilderness. As we sailed near the kelp beds, we found some sea otters, who found refuge wrapped around the bull kelp to avoid being washed away by the violent currents of the changing tides. We had some very nice looks at several sea otters, including some mothers with their young.
We headed towards the open Gulf of Alaska. We found a Sitka black-tailed deer, which placidly browsed on the vegetation near the shoreline. From there, we could see the splashes of the Steller sea lions between the current lines. We approached closer to find that the largest sea lions in the world were having a great day of fishing for salmon. The strong currents that funnel through the narrow channels between islands makes the fishing easier for them.
As we were leaving to go back to the ship, a small group of orcas was seen traveling in our direction. Surrounded by sea lions and strong currents we witnessed the largest of all dolphins swimming not too far away from us. The black and white patterns and the streamlines of these magnificent cetaceans made the day for some of us!
Elfin Cove was our next destination. This tiny boardwalk town is a very quaint example of the remote small communities that exist in Southeast Alaska. Commercial fishing sustains the small community, and floatplanes are one of their main means of transportation. We were fortunate to witness a very different lifestyle that many people have adopted in remote locations, and to recognize that the definition of “quality of life” certainly differs from place to place. Here, nature, hard work, community, and independence, certainly enrich peoples’ lives.
We spent the afternoon in George Island. We walked up a hill, from which the entrance to Cross Sound is clearly visible. The view is magnificent and an impressive piece of history has rusted away since the end of World War II. A six-inch gun is an interesting artifact, which was placed there with the expectation to intercept possible Japanese invasions, which never materialized.
We kayaked, hiked, and enjoyed cruising around George Island, under the most magnificent weather. We had a full day—full of surprises, wildlife, scenery, and the company of like-minded people, with whom we shared this special corner of the world.
