Waking up to clear skies and a gorgeous sunrise was well received following an evening of rain and heavy winds. The National Geographic Sea Lion spent the morning charging north towards the narrow Tolmie Channel. We took a slight deviation from the primary channel into the extremely tight Klemtu Passage which at its narrowest point was slightly over 100 yards which seems like much less from a navigational standpoint. Apart from the isolation and narrow approach, Klemtu is known for its iconic ceremonial “Long House” tucked into the western red cedar.
When it comes to wildlife, the morning proved to be quite packed including visits from Dall’s porpoise torpedoing through the wake, branches and rocky outcroppings littered with bald eagles, Bonaparte gulls taking refuge on floating logs and a bow full of optimistic guests and naturalist hoping for a glance at the legendary spirit bear endemic to Princess Royal Island.
As the day progressed the snow covered peaks began to slowly reveal themselves and eventually the sun burnt away nearly all the clouds as we entered Khutze inlet for afternoon activities. The offering of expedition landing crafts cruises and kayaking proved to be popular considering these were the first small boat operations of this incredible northbound journey. Khutze inlet is impressive in every direction with multiple waterfalls of various sizes rolling down the mountainsides, a large river emptying into the salt water and towering peaks encircling the vessel. Expedition landing crafts darted out in all directions, some kayakers soaked up the sun while drifting while others burnt off all the tasty meals and paddled vigorously. One lone kayaker even put her feet up and read a book and left it up to the current to dictate her course. Bear tracks and a river otter were amongst the highlights of the afternoon adventures. The undersea specialist accompanied by a deckhand and our chief mate patiently waited for an early evening slack tide and went down for a highly successful cold-water dive. Immediately after a delicious dinner, everyone headed to the exterior decks to enjoy a calming sunset as we cruised to Buttedale, a former cannery where the Captain and the expedition leader chatted with the caretaker over the ships radio in hopes information regarding recent Spirit Bear sightings. All in all…the day was filled with smiles, laughs and deemed a proper excursion.
