Running in circles, getting packed for your big trip to Alaska, airports, airlines, endless sitting, and where did it get you? Floating in calm waters off of Admiralty Island with a humpback whale bobbing next to the good ship National Geographic Sea Bird. Miss the bustle and hurry? Then how about the calf humpback whale that was splashing about as we navigated back into Chatham Strait.
Congratulations, you have arrived for a trip of a lifetime in Southeast Alaska. We dove into the wildlife sightings first thing this morning. First with the whales, then a fleeting glimpse of a brown bear on Admiralty Island. Patience was rewarded this afternoon. Our introductory meander into the temperate rain forest turned into a marathon bear-watching event. We sent out our different paced walks, which most at some point in time stopped from high and low forest perches to observed the first, then second, and ultimately the third brown bear that came out to feed at the waterfall. It seemed that the longest hike was to be bear-less, but fear not, they found a bear in the woods, and the bears fishing at the falls had yet to be satiated by the time the more intrepid hikers returned. We bobbed in kayaks, floated in little black rubber boats, and gazed appreciatively from the shore at the fishing bruins.
Our hustle and bustle of preparation has culminated in an adrenalin rush of wildlife sightings only hours into our great adventure. Running in the proverbial circle has rewarded us richly. Now we need to take the time to savor the beauty, the wildness and the wildlife of Southeast Alaska.
