Red Bluff Bay & Kelp Bay
Today, we not only traveled through many miles and waterways, but we also traveled through many weather systems. We woke to calm seas, low clouds, and rain in Red Bluff Bay, a gorgeous narrow inlet on Baranof Island. There, we dropped anchor and boarded Zodiacs or kayaks from a jet dock off the stern of the Sea Lion. Water below us, water from the sky, and water streaming down the steep cliffs in the form of rivulets and falls—it felt as if we were exploring a world not quite familiar, a world dominated by a medium other than air.
A brown bear sow and cubs at the head of the bay were seen by some Zodiac travelers and some kayakers, and mink scavenged the shoreline, one wrestling a crab into a meal in what seemed a mighty struggle. Beneath us, sea stars clung to rock and fed upon what prey they could find.
After we returned and refueled at lunch, we made our way north to Kelp Bay. At the bay’s head, a humpback whale invited us to pause and watch as it moved through the rich seas. In the bay, we went ashore at Pond Island, trekking over bear and deer trails, through sphagnum, across roots and logs. Rain pattered the muskeg ponds and shoreline, then the sun broke through, lighting the bright green lichen clinging to the spruce and hemlock boughs. Animal sign was all around us: bear scat, squirrel middens, trees partly-chewn by beavers, and the uniform holes drilled by sapsuckers gave evidence of the creatures that make this place their home. We felt lucky to drink in the fresh air and rich life of this place, lucky to share it with them for at least a few hours, and eager to continue our exploration and investigation of Southeast Alaska’s life.
Today, we not only traveled through many miles and waterways, but we also traveled through many weather systems. We woke to calm seas, low clouds, and rain in Red Bluff Bay, a gorgeous narrow inlet on Baranof Island. There, we dropped anchor and boarded Zodiacs or kayaks from a jet dock off the stern of the Sea Lion. Water below us, water from the sky, and water streaming down the steep cliffs in the form of rivulets and falls—it felt as if we were exploring a world not quite familiar, a world dominated by a medium other than air.
A brown bear sow and cubs at the head of the bay were seen by some Zodiac travelers and some kayakers, and mink scavenged the shoreline, one wrestling a crab into a meal in what seemed a mighty struggle. Beneath us, sea stars clung to rock and fed upon what prey they could find.
After we returned and refueled at lunch, we made our way north to Kelp Bay. At the bay’s head, a humpback whale invited us to pause and watch as it moved through the rich seas. In the bay, we went ashore at Pond Island, trekking over bear and deer trails, through sphagnum, across roots and logs. Rain pattered the muskeg ponds and shoreline, then the sun broke through, lighting the bright green lichen clinging to the spruce and hemlock boughs. Animal sign was all around us: bear scat, squirrel middens, trees partly-chewn by beavers, and the uniform holes drilled by sapsuckers gave evidence of the creatures that make this place their home. We felt lucky to drink in the fresh air and rich life of this place, lucky to share it with them for at least a few hours, and eager to continue our exploration and investigation of Southeast Alaska’s life.
