It’s a rare day when the Fairweather Mountains are visible. Today was one of those days, with remarkable wildlife accompanying the stunning scenery. National Geographic Sea Bird journeyed westward through South Inian Pass and anchored in Granite Cove at George Island.
Our options for the morning included kayaking and hiking. Long hikes took off up the trail, trekking over a few faults and getting spectacular views across Cross Sound to the Cape Spencer lighthouse at the southwest corner of Glacier Bay National Park. Sea stacks rose from the waves and hikers continued on to the end of the trail, where a WWII gun emplacement looks out to the distant Brady glacier. Naturalists talked about the war history and photo enthusiasts snapped shots of the glorious Fairweather peaks. The mountain range was named by Captain Cook during his expedition to this area in the 1770s, and is only seen in unusually fair weather!
Kayakers paddled out into the sun-dappled waves, pushing through kelp beds and looking for the whiskered faces of sea otters. Casual walkers visited the tide pools, searching for secretive fish hiding under rocks and learning about strange creatures that inhabit the harsh, incessantly flushing, intertidal area, where everything must be able to cling to the substrate and withstand long periods of time without water.
After a short cruise to the Inian Islands, we dropped anchor and headed out for an afternoon of exploration by expedition landing craft. Wow! It was a truly amazing experience. We came into an area of dramatic currents and upwellings where the marine buffet line was open for sea lions, bald eagles, gulls, and other seabirds on an incoming tide. We hardly knew where to look as eagles plummeted to the water to catch fish, and then were chased by their comrades, occasionally dropping their catch and squabbling over ownership. Steller sea lions hauled fish from the depths, beating them against the water’s surface to break them into bite-sized chunks. Gulls dove in with gusto to clean up the scraps. The wind was fierce, but the brilliant sun and grand vistas kept smiles on our faces.
This evening we are cruising Icy Strait in search of humpback whales and a beautiful sunset over the Fairweather Mountains.
