On both sides of Chatham Strait
"We don't usually get sunburned in Alaska"
- David Kay, Captain of the National Geographic Sea Bird
He is right (of course he is right; he is the Captain), but there was nothing usual about this day in Southeast Alaska. We began our day at the entrance to Kelp Bay on northeastern Baranof Island, where we encountered feeding humpback whales. The massive animals surfaced for a series of very audible breaths, and then returned to the depths in search of fish and krill, showing us their flukes as they dove. Over and over, the sequence was repeated as the whales build up the layer of blubber, the energy store that must see them through their southbound migration and the coming winter in Hawaii. Whales before breakfast: a good way to start to the day.
Kelp Bay is actually the confluence of three fjords. We chose the southern arm for our morning activities. Conditions were clear, warm, and windless - ideal for a turn in our kayaks. The first round of kayakers left the ship for a one-way journey from near the mouth of the bay to its head, where the ship was waiting and others took their turn in the kayaks. When we weren’t kayaking we had the opportunity to walk in a coastal meadow, rich with wildflowers and wild Alaskan berries just reaching their peak of delectable ripeness: red and golden salmonberries and plump blueberries. It was hard to make progress with so many berries to be sampled.
There were plenty of signs that we were sharing the meadow and berries with brown bears. (The ABC Islands of Southeast Alaska - Admiralty, Baranof, and Chichigof - have only brown bears.) The trails through the tall grass were first made by bears, and they left occasional seed-filled piles along the trail. Calls of "Yo, bear!" echoed out. Some of the kayakers spotted a mother bear with her two cubs at the far end of the meadow. We returned to the beach to conclude our operation, and found that it had been taken over by a young, very dark-colored brown bear ... and he was in no hurry to depart. The row of kayaks grew and cameras clicked until, finally, the young bear wandered away, left a pile on the beach, entered the water for a short swim, and then sauntered away undisturbed.
We departed Kelp Bay to cross Chatham Strait to Admiralty Island. Once again, we encountered humpback whales near the entrance. Far off in the distance we saw the massive splash of a whale returning to its watery realm after a breach - a leap out of the water. Suddenly, wholly without advance notice, the whale that we had been watching burst out of the water in a full-body breach very close to our ship. Later in the day this sight was repeated - two close breaches in a single day. Remarkable.
We entered Hood Bay on Admiralty Island. More whales. It was just too nice to leave the deck so our hotel staff served smoked Alaskan seafood with wine and Alaskan beer on the top deck. Following dinner (the black cod was mighty good!), we gathered again on the foredeck to watch a remarkable display of whale feeding. The prey was at shallow depth so the dives were short and frequent. Each time the whales returned to the surface with their huge mouths agape and their throat pleats fully distended with tons and tons of water.
And so to bed - somewhat red of face from the bright sun and its reflection from the water, but fully replete with our Alaskan wildlife experience.
