In nature, there are no bad guys, everything serves its purpose and eventually, at the end of their life, they become the sustenance for something else. This morning our wake-up call came early. We had arrived at the carcass of a humpback whale killed in a collision with a ship. The authorities had towed it to the beach on Admiralty Island and there it has been feeding many bears for the last few weeks. This morning, as we arrived, seven brown bears were feeding. Fortunately, time and the process of decay spared us from seeing the whale as anything but a mass of unrecognizable flesh, which afforded us incredible views of so many bears feeding together on the edge of the forest. When we first came on deck, many of us were still half asleep; now, it was hard to believe that the day had only just begun.
After breakfast we began a long sail through the Chatham Straits. As some of our naturalists kept a watchful eye for whales the rest of us settled in for two wonderful programs: one about salmon and their relationship to the rest of the ecosystem by Bette Lu Krause, and one on native art and the culture of the Northwest by David Stephens. It seems the programs were timed just right as we found ourselves back at Morris Reef where we had left a group of humpback whales bubblenetting a few days before. Just as before, seven whales were again participating in the incredible behavior.
Our afternoon took us to Saook Bay, a picturesque area of Baranof Island. Before reaching the head of the bay the National Geographic Sea Bird stopped to unload kayaks and a group of intrepid travelers who would kayak the last two miles as the Sea Bird sailed ahead to anchor at the end of the bay. Once our kayaking was through, we all set off on an exploration of the grassy meadows that lined a salmon stream that meandered through the fields. We hiked along the stream and watched as pink salmon swam the last length of their journey upstream. I wonder if they know what lay ahead for them on this final journey. Their whole lives were filled with adventure from the moment they hatched from their eggs, until they heard the ancient voice calling them home to the place of their origin. Here they will make the ultimate sacrifice in order to keep their species alive.
As we leave Saook, a brown bear along the shore interrupts our departure. All hands on deck as we watch the bear enter the water and swim to an island a few hundred yards from shore. The day was to end as it began, watching bear from the ship. Today we witness the circle of life. We saw firsthand how all things in this wondrous place are connected to each other. The wilderness is a tapestry of interconnected beings, from the trees to the fish to the bears to the mighty whales. We are a part of it too, and after this day’s experience, we understand that a little better.
