Thursday, July 15, 2010
Quarter of six and in my sleep I feel the ship slow its engines. The back of my brain realizes
that
usually means a sighting of some sort. Up and dressed and to the bow, I
find two others who had the same thought, but all is quiet. The captain
is just cursing slower, in an area where whales are know to feed. Back
to the room, then down to the lounge to make some coffee and wander the
ship and look at the scenery where Icy Strait and Chatham Strait meet.
Quarter of seven and there is a gentle announcement on the PA that killer whales are ahead.
Fantastic.
Soon everyone is on deck to see one whale breaching in the distance. It
is with a small pod of five or six who are soon very close to the ship.
Cameras click in rapid bursts each time a fin or a back breaks the
surface. They weave back and forth, crossing under the ship from time to
time. They seem comfortable with us and it is a great sighting as we
stay with them for half an hour. Later, naturalist Pete will work with
the young passengers to get them to
identify the individual whales comparing some of today's photos with a catalog of know killer whales.
The Alaskan brown bears that we saw on the whale carcass yesterday are the coastal variant of
the
grizzly, and there are said to be three bears per square mile, on
average . In the afternoon, we make landings at Saook Bay for hikes in
the woods around this beautiful bay. Big meadow at the back of the bay
with snowy peaks in the distance. Walking through the woods is easy
following well established bear trails, and we are reminded of that
every fifty feet or so by mounds of bear scat. Linda, our leader today
lives in bear country, and is keeping an eye out for bears. We don't see
any in the woods, but when returning along a narrow strip between high
tide and tree line, we spot one coming our way on the trail. Retreating
onto a spit of land, Linda reminds us of bear protocol while we wait for
it to pass. Bunch into a group, don't run, and plan A is be prepared to
make a lot of noise. Plan B is pepper spray. He passes warily on HIS
trail without need for plan A or plan B. Adrenaline levels are
definitely. The tide is up too so we make a radio call for a zodiac
pick-up from our little spit and back to the Sea Bird.
Later, we move off to the South and have a fine evening
light before slowing for a close view of a sweet little waterfall, with a
long name.
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