George Island/Inian Islands
Today we had the full gamut of activities, weather, and wildlife. In the morning we experienced an authentic Southeast Alaska day. Now we can understand and appreciate how a rainforest could form here. One of the requirements to make a rainforest is to have about 100 inches or more of precipitation per year. This moisture comes from warm air masses that form over the Pacific Ocean and is released upon encountering land to the east. Lush, verdant beauty is the result. It also keeps the climate relatively mild throughout the year.
We anchored at George Island for our morning activities. Kayakers explored Granite Cove and the adjacent shoreline while hikers took to the land. A muddy, undulating trail through the forest led to a WWII gun emplacement. The island was occupied by the U.S. military for a few years in the early 1940s. Originally deployed on a Navy boat during WWI, the 6” Mark X Brigadier canon was strategically emplaced on George Island near the northern entrance to Southeast Alaska to protect against potential invasion. Various other buildings and items associated with the occupation are scattered about the small island.
Many banana slugs were out enjoying the moisture today. Camouflage coloration made them hard to spot against the forest floor, but one was caught nibbling on a bright orange sulfur shelf fungus. Instead of having gills like some mushrooms, polypore fruiting bodies have tiny pores and tubes in which the spores form. Although they will eat many kinds of vegetation, slugs enjoy mushrooms more than just about anything else. While the fungus breaks down tough cellulose inside the tree, the slug is also doing its part to recycle the forest.
One group of hikers found a small, picturesque pond, full of yellow pond-lilies and skunk cabbage. Another group explored the higher forest and meadows on the other side of the island. Sitka black-tail deer are apparently abundant on the island but are elusive and usually avoid detection other than by leaving their prints and droppings as evidence of their presence.
After leaving our anchorage we encountered some active humpback whales. Breaches by one whale caught our attention; then a group of four adults made a close pass by the ship. A few charismatic sea otters were seen in the area and interesting birds such as the tufted puffin and ancient murrelets were picked out by the naturalists onboard. We were pleased that the sun was now burning its way through the clouds.
Later in the afternoon we anchored at the Inian Islands for a Steller experience. Yes, that is spelled with an “er” at the end, as we boarded Zodiacs and floated among Steller (northern) sea lions, which are named after Georg Wilhelm Steller, a naturalist who is credited as the first European to set foot on what is now part of Alaska. He described many animals that were unknown to science at the time and now has several named after him, including the Steller’s jay, the Steller’s sea cow (now extinct), and the Steller’s eider, a rare sea duck.
The sea lions were feasting on salmon that came in from the open ocean with the flooding tide on their way toward their natal streams to spawn. Having survived the many perils of their incredible journey to adulthood, the unfortunate ones were now snapped up, thrashed about, and swallowed by the waiting sea lions. Gulls flew in to clean up the scraps.
We also enjoyed watching a sea otter mother with her pup, and another that was eating an octopus. Sea otters have voracious appetites and eat about 25% of their body weight in shellfish and other organisms every day. An unusual sighting was of a river otter that ran up a slope above the rocky shore of one of the islands.
Considering the variety of the day, we have realized what a rich, productive and pristine area we are privileged to explore and experience.
Today we had the full gamut of activities, weather, and wildlife. In the morning we experienced an authentic Southeast Alaska day. Now we can understand and appreciate how a rainforest could form here. One of the requirements to make a rainforest is to have about 100 inches or more of precipitation per year. This moisture comes from warm air masses that form over the Pacific Ocean and is released upon encountering land to the east. Lush, verdant beauty is the result. It also keeps the climate relatively mild throughout the year.
We anchored at George Island for our morning activities. Kayakers explored Granite Cove and the adjacent shoreline while hikers took to the land. A muddy, undulating trail through the forest led to a WWII gun emplacement. The island was occupied by the U.S. military for a few years in the early 1940s. Originally deployed on a Navy boat during WWI, the 6” Mark X Brigadier canon was strategically emplaced on George Island near the northern entrance to Southeast Alaska to protect against potential invasion. Various other buildings and items associated with the occupation are scattered about the small island.
Many banana slugs were out enjoying the moisture today. Camouflage coloration made them hard to spot against the forest floor, but one was caught nibbling on a bright orange sulfur shelf fungus. Instead of having gills like some mushrooms, polypore fruiting bodies have tiny pores and tubes in which the spores form. Although they will eat many kinds of vegetation, slugs enjoy mushrooms more than just about anything else. While the fungus breaks down tough cellulose inside the tree, the slug is also doing its part to recycle the forest.
One group of hikers found a small, picturesque pond, full of yellow pond-lilies and skunk cabbage. Another group explored the higher forest and meadows on the other side of the island. Sitka black-tail deer are apparently abundant on the island but are elusive and usually avoid detection other than by leaving their prints and droppings as evidence of their presence.
After leaving our anchorage we encountered some active humpback whales. Breaches by one whale caught our attention; then a group of four adults made a close pass by the ship. A few charismatic sea otters were seen in the area and interesting birds such as the tufted puffin and ancient murrelets were picked out by the naturalists onboard. We were pleased that the sun was now burning its way through the clouds.
Later in the afternoon we anchored at the Inian Islands for a Steller experience. Yes, that is spelled with an “er” at the end, as we boarded Zodiacs and floated among Steller (northern) sea lions, which are named after Georg Wilhelm Steller, a naturalist who is credited as the first European to set foot on what is now part of Alaska. He described many animals that were unknown to science at the time and now has several named after him, including the Steller’s jay, the Steller’s sea cow (now extinct), and the Steller’s eider, a rare sea duck.
The sea lions were feasting on salmon that came in from the open ocean with the flooding tide on their way toward their natal streams to spawn. Having survived the many perils of their incredible journey to adulthood, the unfortunate ones were now snapped up, thrashed about, and swallowed by the waiting sea lions. Gulls flew in to clean up the scraps.
We also enjoyed watching a sea otter mother with her pup, and another that was eating an octopus. Sea otters have voracious appetites and eat about 25% of their body weight in shellfish and other organisms every day. An unusual sighting was of a river otter that ran up a slope above the rocky shore of one of the islands.
Considering the variety of the day, we have realized what a rich, productive and pristine area we are privileged to explore and experience.
