“In all things of nature there is something of the marvelous.” -Aristotle
The National Geographic Sea Bird sailed through Peril Strait overnight, and we awakened this morning in Chatham Strait, a deep and wide fjord that separates Admiralty Island from Baranof and Chichagof Islands. Collectively known as the “ABC Islands,” they are home to a huge population of coastal brown bears. Genetically the same as grizzly bears, Southeast Alaskan coastal brown bears can be up to twice the size. The reason? Salmon. In addition to the roots, berries, and tidal flat goodies, brown bears feast on salmon in the late summer as the fish return to their birthplace to lay eggs and die. We hoped to see these magnificent creatures (bears and salmon alike!) this morning as we cruised through a beautiful scenic area known as Kelp Bay. Our efforts were rewarded with sightings of harbor seals, eagles, and jumping salmon. But alas, no bears. While we were onboard scoping the landscape, our undersea specialist dove down…under the sea…and brought back a video which he then shared at Recap.
There was still plenty of time to look for bears—after all it’s the first morning of the first day of our trip. The persistence of our naturalists on the bow paid off. Mid-morning, towards the end of a discussion on photography, came the news that there was a brown bear on the shoreline! Grabbing binoculars and cameras and rain jackets (it was raining), people poured onto the decks to see the first brown bear of the trip. And not long after lunch began, the PA crackled with the announcement of another brown bear along the shore. Our afternoon explorations at Pavlof Harbor brought many people into closer view of brown bears. A few groups of hikers almost ran into a bear on the trail—!!—heading towards the landing beach (though we never did see it arrive there). Then a little later a sow and her cub were seen hunting salmon by the waterfall. Walkers, kayakers, and expedition landing craft cruisers observed at a safe distance until these two bears disappeared back into the forest. Walkers continued on (carefully!) to test rubber boots with mud and roots, and begin learning about this pristine temperate rain forest. Paddlers fanned out to explore the further ends of the bay.
Though the day had begun overcast and rainy, by the afternoon patches of blue began to peek through. And by evening, at this writing, the sun is shining brightly over my shoulder, making the computer screen difficult to see. Gathered back in the lounge, we discussed the day, shared answers to scavenger hunt questions, watched the video footage of the amazing world under the water, and noshed on hummus, veggies, cheese, and fruit. What a glorious day! Bears, bears, bears.
