Idaho Inlet & the Inian Islands
Sea otters, sea otters, and more sea otters! We awoke to find ourselves surrounded by rafts of these adorable marine mammals calmly floating on their backs as the Sea Lion passed by. In just a few minutes’ time, we counted more than fifty otters within eyesight. This proved to be an auspicious start to our day of fun and adventure near the northern entrance to the Inside Passage.
As we awoke, the Sea Lion anchored in Idaho Inlet, a body of water named for an excursion steamship that ran aground on a rock in the inlet over a hundred years ago. After breakfast, guests had a chance to explore Fox Creek, a salmon stream located on Chichagof Island. Some guests chose a vigorous hike up the steam to a waterfall and beyond to a muskeg bog. Others selected a more leisurely hike through the edge of the forest. Along the way, we saw paw prints left by the brown bears that call this part of the island home. We also viewed white bog orchids and other delicate flowers that thrive during the brief Alaskan summers.
In addition to hiking, guests had the chance to explore Idaho Inlet by water. We kayaked around Shaw Island, just off shore from Chichagof Island. Black pelagic cormorants flew overhead, searching for fish, while gray harbor seals snuck glances of us before diving below the water’s surface. Kayaking provided a quiet and peaceful way for viewing the fascinating marine wildlife of Southeast Alaska.
During lunch, the Sea Lion moved north into the Inian Islands. These islands lie at the entrance to Cross Sound, the northern route into the Inside Passage. Once we reached the islands, we climbed into our Zodiacs and took a short ride to observe a sea lion colony. Steller’s sea lions live on the rocky beaches near the entrance to the Pacific Ocean. We arrived just as the tide began pushing salmon past the sea lions’ haul out point. From our Zodiacs, we watched these seemingly playful animals performing acrobatics in the water as they caught salmon and tore them apart. Often, a curious sea lion approached us and appeared to delight in splashing and jumping in our boat’s wake. Just like our morning otter encounter, our afternoon adventure with these wild and wonderful animals seemed a perfect way to end our exhilarating day. As the sun sets, we look forward to a full day of exploring in Glacier Bay National Park tomorrow.
Sea otters, sea otters, and more sea otters! We awoke to find ourselves surrounded by rafts of these adorable marine mammals calmly floating on their backs as the Sea Lion passed by. In just a few minutes’ time, we counted more than fifty otters within eyesight. This proved to be an auspicious start to our day of fun and adventure near the northern entrance to the Inside Passage.
As we awoke, the Sea Lion anchored in Idaho Inlet, a body of water named for an excursion steamship that ran aground on a rock in the inlet over a hundred years ago. After breakfast, guests had a chance to explore Fox Creek, a salmon stream located on Chichagof Island. Some guests chose a vigorous hike up the steam to a waterfall and beyond to a muskeg bog. Others selected a more leisurely hike through the edge of the forest. Along the way, we saw paw prints left by the brown bears that call this part of the island home. We also viewed white bog orchids and other delicate flowers that thrive during the brief Alaskan summers.
In addition to hiking, guests had the chance to explore Idaho Inlet by water. We kayaked around Shaw Island, just off shore from Chichagof Island. Black pelagic cormorants flew overhead, searching for fish, while gray harbor seals snuck glances of us before diving below the water’s surface. Kayaking provided a quiet and peaceful way for viewing the fascinating marine wildlife of Southeast Alaska.
During lunch, the Sea Lion moved north into the Inian Islands. These islands lie at the entrance to Cross Sound, the northern route into the Inside Passage. Once we reached the islands, we climbed into our Zodiacs and took a short ride to observe a sea lion colony. Steller’s sea lions live on the rocky beaches near the entrance to the Pacific Ocean. We arrived just as the tide began pushing salmon past the sea lions’ haul out point. From our Zodiacs, we watched these seemingly playful animals performing acrobatics in the water as they caught salmon and tore them apart. Often, a curious sea lion approached us and appeared to delight in splashing and jumping in our boat’s wake. Just like our morning otter encounter, our afternoon adventure with these wild and wonderful animals seemed a perfect way to end our exhilarating day. As the sun sets, we look forward to a full day of exploring in Glacier Bay National Park tomorrow.
