Haiku by Hannah Stevens, guest, age 8:
Kayaking is great
Wobbling from side to side
As penguins walking.
After leaving Sitka last night, National Geographic Sea Bird headed north, eventually turning to the east to transit Peril Strait, the scenic passage between Chichagof and Baranof Islands.
Wandering on deck this morning, we were treated to a deep blue sky as the backdrop to the stunning scenery of Kelp Bay, a complex of fjords jutting into the northeastern corner of Baranof Island. Steep, heavily forested walls capped by snow-capped, jagged ridges rose thousands of feet above. Ahead, the fjord ended in a grassy meadow crosscut by numerous streams.
After breakfast and a few preparatory briefings, we headed out for our morning’s explorations. We had the luxury of choosing a few different ways to experience this scenic gem. Most of us took a hike on Pond Island. At the landing, thanks to the extremely low tide, we had great looks at sea stars and anemones. During the walk we were introduced to the most extensive temperate rain forest on Earth. Dominated by western hemlock and Sitka spruce trees, the ecosystem is also rich in mosses and lichens. There are countless shades and gradients of green. Using kayaks, some of us for the first time, we enjoyed the silence of this wilderness as we paddled along the shore. Yet another mode, our expedition landing craft, gave us the opportunity to strike out farther from shore. We had glimpses of humpback whales, as well as looks at harbor seals and Steller sea lions.
Afternoon found us navigating to the north through Chatham Strait, a major fjord named by captain George Vancouver. Photo instructor Linda Burback presented “An Introduction to Digital Photography”. Later, William Lopez-Forment introduced us to the history of Russian Alaska. All the while, we kept a lookout for marine mammals. As often seems to happen when we give presentations, marine mammals showed up. First, some Dall’s porpoises, with their characteristic rooster tail splashes, came to the ship and played in our bow wave.
As the afternoon evolved, we saw more of these swift swimmers and then came the highlight. Humpback whales! About a dozen were spotted ahead. As we approached there were also a few Steller sea lions. But they couldn’t take our attention away from the whales for long. Excellent close looks and flukes kept us riveted. Naturalist Linda Burback put the ship’s hydrophone in the water and shortly we heard a haunting cry, followed by an explosion of whales breaking the surface. Cooperative bubblenet feeding. An extraordinary behavior in which the whales work together to herd fish. All of this on a sunny day with the magnificent backdrop of Chichagof and Admiralty Islands.
After dinner, William spoke about the mammals of southeast Alaska. A full, rewarding first day.
