Idaho Inlet and Inian Islands
Well, thankfully we got back to some good old Southeast Alaska weather today. That blue in the sky and the big yellow orb up there yesterday made us lose our sensitivity to the vast variety of shades of gray and got us all overheated (must have been up in the upper 60s, for goodness sake). Big rain fell in the early morning hours as we made our way deep into Idaho Inlet, but let up and then stopped by the time breakfast was over. Then we were called up on deck to watch sea otters. There were rafts of 10-20 otters along with individuals scattered throughout the inner reaches of the inlet. Knowing that sea otters were hunted to near extinction in the 19th and early 20th century, we felt very lucky to watch them floating along on their furry backs, cleaning themselves and feeding on the crabs and shellfish that are plentiful in the shallower waters of this beautiful fjord. There were also a goodly number of youngsters closely attached to their mothers, unable to be independent yet already able to forage for some of their own food. We were periodically prompted to remember to look up from the activity on the water and enjoy the play of wind and clouds and muted color and texture as they played out their dance on the landscapes that surrounded us in this vast and glorious wilderness.
Since we had a flooding tide, the Captain took the Sea Lion through the narrow channels among the Inian Islands so that we could continue to watch the light dance with the shadows and landforms and also watch the Steller sea lions that gather in the tidal races to feed on the incoming salmon. Almost a hundred sea lions were in the water and a number of them caught salmon while we watched from the ship and a large male sea lion watched from the nearby rocks. These were non-breeders, probably all males, who are not yet big enough or mean enough or sneaky enough to enter the rookeries and participate in the production of the next generation. So they settle for jousting among themselves in mock battles and gorging themselves with the plentiful salmon that arrive by the thousands each day and must pass through the narrow channels of the Inians on their way to their natal streams to spawn.
We then made our way to Fox Creek where we spent the afternoon hiking along the coastal meadows, into the forest primeval and uphill to visit the muskeg bog community. Rain squalls blessed us with fresh water from the sky and then passed on to the west to share the riches of wetness with the rest of Chichagof Island. Dry and warm back aboard our little ship, we enjoyed a recap of the day’s activities and a lovely dinner as the Sea Lion headed for Glacier Bay National Park and another day of adventure in the gentle wetness and wilds of Southeast Alaska.
Well, thankfully we got back to some good old Southeast Alaska weather today. That blue in the sky and the big yellow orb up there yesterday made us lose our sensitivity to the vast variety of shades of gray and got us all overheated (must have been up in the upper 60s, for goodness sake). Big rain fell in the early morning hours as we made our way deep into Idaho Inlet, but let up and then stopped by the time breakfast was over. Then we were called up on deck to watch sea otters. There were rafts of 10-20 otters along with individuals scattered throughout the inner reaches of the inlet. Knowing that sea otters were hunted to near extinction in the 19th and early 20th century, we felt very lucky to watch them floating along on their furry backs, cleaning themselves and feeding on the crabs and shellfish that are plentiful in the shallower waters of this beautiful fjord. There were also a goodly number of youngsters closely attached to their mothers, unable to be independent yet already able to forage for some of their own food. We were periodically prompted to remember to look up from the activity on the water and enjoy the play of wind and clouds and muted color and texture as they played out their dance on the landscapes that surrounded us in this vast and glorious wilderness.
Since we had a flooding tide, the Captain took the Sea Lion through the narrow channels among the Inian Islands so that we could continue to watch the light dance with the shadows and landforms and also watch the Steller sea lions that gather in the tidal races to feed on the incoming salmon. Almost a hundred sea lions were in the water and a number of them caught salmon while we watched from the ship and a large male sea lion watched from the nearby rocks. These were non-breeders, probably all males, who are not yet big enough or mean enough or sneaky enough to enter the rookeries and participate in the production of the next generation. So they settle for jousting among themselves in mock battles and gorging themselves with the plentiful salmon that arrive by the thousands each day and must pass through the narrow channels of the Inians on their way to their natal streams to spawn.
We then made our way to Fox Creek where we spent the afternoon hiking along the coastal meadows, into the forest primeval and uphill to visit the muskeg bog community. Rain squalls blessed us with fresh water from the sky and then passed on to the west to share the riches of wetness with the rest of Chichagof Island. Dry and warm back aboard our little ship, we enjoyed a recap of the day’s activities and a lovely dinner as the Sea Lion headed for Glacier Bay National Park and another day of adventure in the gentle wetness and wilds of Southeast Alaska.
