Pavlov Harbor and Chatham Strait
We awoke to a magnificent blue sky; particularly appreciated after a day logging 4.5 inches of rain! Our captain suggested we may be in for a brilliant and unusual day of wildlife. Landing Zodiacs in Pavlov Harbor, the overbanking river gave pause as we realized the trail was submerged. Moving upstream we soon spied a fishing brown bear sow and cubs. So…we photographed and waited. Eventually she made her way into the rainforest and we proceeded upriver to Pavlov’s lake. The riverside was littered with pink salmon carcasses. Red tailed hawks and bald eagles perched above us. The atmosphere stank of salmon and exhilarated us with the fact of the nearby brown bears.
We made it to the lake and the long hikers began to circumnavigate. But not for long! The mountain watershed had become saturated and so sent the storm’s water directly on to the lake, which also overwhelmed its banks by several feet; a flooded rainforest burying the lakeside trail. We managed our way slowly through the green bush, appreciating the verdant mosses and lichens, eating blue and red huckleberries while returning to the harbor. A contingent of 14 kayakers enjoyed paddling the sunny shoreline with salmon, eagles and red tail hawks.
We were finishing lunch, some of us drinking coffee in the lounge, when our naturalist Berit announced that she had spotted a group of Orcas, Killer Whales, two miles distant in Chatham Strait. Our captain changed course. Soon we were amidst a riotous lovefest of roughly 30-35 Orcas, likely a superpod. Smaller groups of between 2 and 5 Orcas played and boiled the waters with frolic and love. Spyhopping, lunging, pectoral slaps, breaching, fluking, rolling, porpoising. Orcas swam snuggling up to their mates, their undersides skyward, then a shallow fluking, a broadside popping up and down…pink floyd. For three hours all on the bow shuffled from port to starboard taking it all in. Continuous exclamations of joy, admiration and astonishment! A few older male orcas with towering dorsal fins tracked along with our ship. Phases of intense activity were punctuated by a momentary pause. Salmon jumped, jaegers plotted, orcas sang. We heard the Orca’s metallic inhalations and we listened to their songs and chatter using the hydrophone. After 4 hours, with hundreds of photographs, full digital cards, exhausted shutter fingers and full hearts and minds, we began our final sail towards Sitka.
We awoke to a magnificent blue sky; particularly appreciated after a day logging 4.5 inches of rain! Our captain suggested we may be in for a brilliant and unusual day of wildlife. Landing Zodiacs in Pavlov Harbor, the overbanking river gave pause as we realized the trail was submerged. Moving upstream we soon spied a fishing brown bear sow and cubs. So…we photographed and waited. Eventually she made her way into the rainforest and we proceeded upriver to Pavlov’s lake. The riverside was littered with pink salmon carcasses. Red tailed hawks and bald eagles perched above us. The atmosphere stank of salmon and exhilarated us with the fact of the nearby brown bears.
We made it to the lake and the long hikers began to circumnavigate. But not for long! The mountain watershed had become saturated and so sent the storm’s water directly on to the lake, which also overwhelmed its banks by several feet; a flooded rainforest burying the lakeside trail. We managed our way slowly through the green bush, appreciating the verdant mosses and lichens, eating blue and red huckleberries while returning to the harbor. A contingent of 14 kayakers enjoyed paddling the sunny shoreline with salmon, eagles and red tail hawks.
We were finishing lunch, some of us drinking coffee in the lounge, when our naturalist Berit announced that she had spotted a group of Orcas, Killer Whales, two miles distant in Chatham Strait. Our captain changed course. Soon we were amidst a riotous lovefest of roughly 30-35 Orcas, likely a superpod. Smaller groups of between 2 and 5 Orcas played and boiled the waters with frolic and love. Spyhopping, lunging, pectoral slaps, breaching, fluking, rolling, porpoising. Orcas swam snuggling up to their mates, their undersides skyward, then a shallow fluking, a broadside popping up and down…pink floyd. For three hours all on the bow shuffled from port to starboard taking it all in. Continuous exclamations of joy, admiration and astonishment! A few older male orcas with towering dorsal fins tracked along with our ship. Phases of intense activity were punctuated by a momentary pause. Salmon jumped, jaegers plotted, orcas sang. We heard the Orca’s metallic inhalations and we listened to their songs and chatter using the hydrophone. After 4 hours, with hundreds of photographs, full digital cards, exhausted shutter fingers and full hearts and minds, we began our final sail towards Sitka.
