We woke up today sailing north in Lynn Canal, heading slowly to our destination of Haines Alaska. Our ship veered west on a slight detour into Chilkat Inlet to seek wildlife and view the Davidson Glacier that’s tucked high in a valley in the Chilkat Range. Mountain peaks could be glimpsed briefly through the clouds and provided a stunning back drop for our morning exploration. We sailed in one of the longest fjords in North America, a northern extension of Chatham Strait which itself is a reflection of the complex geology of this region. The fjord follows a fault, part of the great transform boundary that helps transport the Pacific plate northward towards southcentral Alaska. Glaciers took advantage of the fault-shattered rock below and carved the valley during the height of the ice age. With retreat of the ice, the sea returned and flooded the landscape. We took advantage of these combined effects of tectonics and glaciation as we cruised the Lynn Canal.
We saw Steller sea lions and a feeding humpback whale while we listened to a talk from our naturalists. Life is rich and abundant in Southeast Alaska, especially underwater! Our undersea specialist Caitlin showed her footage of a dive in DeGroff Bay that showed the fish, kelp and invertebrates below our ship. Later, naturalist Caroline introduced us to the biology of salmon and to the salmon fishing fleet that’s so critical to Alaska’s economy.
After lunch we went to shore for an afternoon of hikes and kayaking at Battery Point near Haines. Long hikers enjoyed a well-maintained trail through forest and meadow then made their way to Haines to explore the town. We returned to the ship for evening Recap and dinner. The forward lounge saw nearly fifteen of our young explorers enjoying pizza and the movie Finding Dory, a relaxing way to end a day of adventure and beauty of Southeast Alaska.
