Dense fog covered our morning plans. We could see that up was bright and down was calm water as our ship cruised by sea otters and red-necked phalaropes. A light breeze broke up the fog during breakfast and exposed a bit of the shoreline and misty trees around our anchorage.
The Inian Islands gave us the structure to wind our morning adventures around. They are positioned in the middle of a gateway through which all the tidal ebbs and flows must pass through on their way to the northern part of Southeast Alaska. This great volume of water does not pass without fanfare. Large rivers of water stream past the islands swirling into pin-wheeling whirlpools adjacent to large eddies, rivers in themselves flowing in the wrong direction from the rest of the flow. Elevated areas of upwelling water spread out in glassy domes punctuated by the heads of northern sea lions feeding on some dizzy fish caught in the turbulence. Standing waves bounced our expedition landing craft as we passed on to glide on a mound of glass surrounded by turbulence.
In the seaweed-filled backwaters of this on rush of water are sea otters. Dense masses of winged and bull kelp at times make it difficult to see them in their refuges. Some watched us pass, while others rolled and scrubbed, working on every inch of their coats. They have little fat, so their insulation comes from their legendary dense fur that must be kept immaculate. Other otters were deep in sleep using their heat-preserving position of front feet held against their faces and back feet pressed together. The lighter colored fur made it easy to find the endearing pups. Adding to their cuteness is their behavior of sitting atop their mother’s bellies until they’ve reached a couple of months of age.
In the afternoon we hiked and kayaked at Fox Creek. This area has a flat, forested area with meadows and bogs filled with skunk cabbage. The forest grades from younger to older trees due to the land’s rebound following the retreat of the immense glacier that filled Glacier Bay. This plant succession is quite evident on forest walks.
After dinner we picked up a National Park Service Ranger and Cultural Interpreter and watched a program about the geologic history of Southeast Alaska by one of the expedition staff.
