This morning we hiked on George Island. This small outpost is the site of a World War II gun emplacement. The men assigned to the gun were our first line of defense against the Japanese had they come to Southeast Alaska. It must have been nerve wracking and lonely duty. After our hikes, a few brave and intrepid souls took the polar plunge into the ocean, quickly returning to hot cider and towels!

Expedition leader Tom Skeele definitely nailed the timings of our afternoon Zodiac cruises in the Inian Islands. The flood tide was running hard and all the life in the area knew it. Steller’s sea lions were chomping and chunking halibut, rockfish, and even salmon. Both mature and immature bald eagles were cleaning up the scraps. We found a sea otter mother busily dismembering a Dungeness crab with help from her baby. The kittiwakes and glaucous-winged gulls took the smallest of the scraps. Even the pigeon guillemots were busy taking advantage that the flood tide brings, scooping up small baitfish amongst the carnage!

Evening brought a perfect sunset framing humpback whales at Pt. Adolphus. The perfect end to a perfect day!