National Geographic Sea Bird dropped anchor in Port Houghton at 0630 today. Port Houghton extends 11 nautical miles east and inland from Stephens Passage and offers an exclusive look at some of the most wild and rugged terrain in Southeast Alaska. The table is set for the coastal brown bears and black bears here in Alaska. The berries are ripe. The skunk cabbage fruit is abundant. And salmon are moving into streams and beginning their spawning dance. During our morning hikes, we had the privilege of sharing this pristine forest with the bears that were just out of sight. Abundant fresh signs told the tale of their proximity.
We weighed anchor while we ate a delicious lunch and headed out of Port Houghton. Humpback whales greeted the ship as soon as we entered Stephens Passage. They were cooperatively feeding, using a technique known as bubble-net feeding. We had the honor of watching these whales gorge on herring.
Moving farther into Stephens Passage, we were soon surrounded by hundreds of humpback whales. There was no direction that guests or crew could look without seeing blows, breaching, tail slapping, peck slapping, and fluking. What an incredible day!
