George Island, Elfin Cove, Inian Islands
A beach composed of pebbles of very rare garnet-granite stretched along the shoreline and greeted our early morning arrival for a hike and kayak at George Island. This island has an interesting human history. During World War II, a Navy base was established there to protect Cross Sound from a potential invasion and stage landing craft for the repatriation of Attu Island from Japanese occupancy. At the top of the island is an impressive 6-inch gun, one of the largest remaining pieces of World War II armament. This 18 ton steel gun was hauled a half-mile across the island, over a ravine and up to its present location. The natural environment also had a story to tell… intertidal discoveries, Sitka black-tail deer tracks across the beach, and a lush temperate rain forest trail. Culminating our George Island visit, several guests did a “Run to the Gun” with our wellness specialist, Amy Sobesky.
Before lunch, Mary Jo Wild from Elfin Cove came aboard to share about living and raising her family in a very small fishing community. We disembarked and walked the boardwalks of this unique borough, visiting the local museum and purchasing the ‘best smoked salmon’ in Alaska!
Afternoon delight Zodiac cruise…a little bit of rain did not discourage the sea lions from feeding on salmon and playing with us as we cruised around the Inian Islands. Strong currents flowed through Icy Strait bringing a tremendous amount of marine sea life for feasting. Not to be upstaged by the sea lions, a group of humpback whales put on a show of their own…tail lobbing, rolling, and slapping their 15-foot-long flippers and then one began breaching! And continued breaching and breaching sixteen times! What a ride! Our evening ended with a docking at Gustavus to pick up our National Park Ranger and Cultural Interpreter for our visit to Glacier Bay National Park tomorrow.
