In our explorations today near the confluence of Chatham Strait and Frederick Sound we discovered many inspiring natural offerings: both live observations of wild creatures in wild places and evidence of life decoded in the wilderness of coastal southeast Alaska.
In intimate Red Bluff Bay amongst rainforest, steep walls topped with snow capped mountains and surging waterfalls we watched the behavior of eagles, deer, kingfishers and dippers. In the waters of Frederick Sound near Yasha Island we were enthused by the feeding antics of pairs of humpback whales, including the aerial lunges of a young calf. Curious Steller sea lions periscoped looks at us as they swam through the day's flat silky waters.
By kayak, by Zodiac and by rubber-booted foot we explored the intrigues of Saginaw Bay on Kuiu Island. Here we read the patterns of nature to construct a living image of this coastal habitat. We landed in the intertidal zone, the buffer between the marine environment and the temperate rainforest, representing the rhythmic heartbeat of these shorelines. Behind the beach in a running limestone escarpment we fingered ancient fossils of once-prolific shelled brachiopods, evidence of life on a seafloor of old.
We photographed beautifully blooming red columbine flowers and pioneering plants growing out of cracks in the bare rock, hinting at the natural processes of plant succession and the emergence of the rainforest. Under towering Sitka spruce trees in the enchanted primeval forest we bounced on soft spongy mossy matting and avoided the barbs of the Devil's Club. Here we found remains of birds fed upon by the island's bears, as well as piles of evidence that the bears had indeed been there.
Temporarily preserved in the muck of the shoreline were the tracks of animals. Prominent canid footprints traipsed along the beachfront, quite possibly the impressions of a pack of three or more wolves. The two toed mark of Sitka black tailed deer and the muddy calligraphy of a river otter cut across the beach, further living traces of this area deciphered by our naturalists and guests.
In bold blood red insignia, a totemic representation of the sun stared out at us from a cliff face, evoking images of the coastal Tlingit natives and their place in this vibrant environment. And as we stop to observe and ponder the world around us on this beautiful southeast Alaska day, we continue to build an appreciation and vital representation of the diversity of life and its relationship to our natural environment.
