After navigating all night National Geographic Sea Bird entered the northern reaches of the Inside Passage as she made way towards Port Althorp. A typical fog layer had settled in around the peaks and hung low over the relatively still waters giving a peaceful and relaxing start to the day. Our morning plan was to maximize our time in this beautiful bay surrounded by dense temperate rain forest with an idyllic salmon stream at its terminus pouring into the blue-green waters.
On shore we split up into three groups; a leisurely paced group, a “moderately” paced group, and a group of long hikers that would use the entire morning to explore the area. The two other groups had opted to split their mornings in two and either kayak or take an expedition landing craft cruise around the bay. All of the groups would have a chance to experience the insane abundance of pink salmon choking the stream on their final push to procreate. For the long hikers we had the great pleasure of delving deep into the forest and entirely on the myriad of bear trails that seemed to dissect this landscape with all paths leading to the salmon stream. The evidence that this was the brown bears’ home did not escape us. The beach and intertidal area were riddled with fresh bear tracks, the salmon carcasses littered the shore and stream bed, the forest mosses were matted down with perennial tracks left by generations of bears comings and goings. Perhaps the most telling sign of this place's vitality were the dozens of bald eagles that lined the trees and stood on shore devouring the scraps left by satiated bears. What a scene to behold, and the day wasn't even half through.
With the first part of the day being comprised of the terrestrial connection, from spawning salmon to feasting bears and massive conifer forests, what better than to switch our focus to the marine environment and spend some quality time surrounded by the swirling productivity of the Inian Islands. This archipelago is situated smack dab in the crosshairs of the Pacific Current as it brings a massive nutrient load facilitated by the tidal rips that run through the narrow passages between the islands. Here all the factors that contribute to the wild and diverse marine life are concentrated in plain sight, and setting out in our inflatable boats is the best way to soak it in.
We wouldn't let the steady, but pleasant, rain showers deter us from experiencing all this area has to offer. After just a few minutes of cruising we were treated with great views of lounging and feeding sea otters, and as the tide was rushing out, swirling around the points and steep-walled islands we focused our attention on the little rocky islet situated in the middle of the channel. From a distance it appears to be a rather drab piece of rock but soon the rocks started to move and hundreds of white and gray forms could be seen fluttering about. The moving rocks were Steller sea lions hauled out and creating quite a ruckus with their telltale vocalizations as they jostled about on the shore. The whirlpool like currents and bubbled up flat water around the island revealed dozens of sea lions thrashing about on the surface. The presence of so many of these massive pinnipeds (weighing up to one ton when full grown) is certain to suggest that there is ample food here for these beasts.
With each changing tide the sea becomes a stew of a dynamic food chain, from the smallest algal component, to schooling baitfish, salmon, on up to the sea lions, and even humpback whales stopping here to feed, not to mention the hundreds of birds of several species filling in the skies and foraging from the surface. Many sea lions approach the boats and gave a somewhat sinister but curious one-eyed glance as their massive bodies, so well designed for their aquatic existence contort and reel about below the surface. This incredible and moving scene plays out on a daily basis here and we were all thrilled to have had the opportunity to be the proverbial “fly on the wall” or better still the “rubber boat on the water” to witness this spectacle.
