Today we visited a wilderness area called the Inian Islands, which were named in 1879 by W.H. Dall as part of a U.S. Coast Guard and Geological Survey. This is one of the few places where the Inside Passage opens to the Pacific Ocean. The tide creates a lot of upwelling, making it an easy place for wildlife to find food. We saw Steller sea lions, sea otters, bald eagles, and harbor seals on our morning Zodiac cruises. After lunch, we visited nearby George Island, the location of a World War II outpost and a large gun that was never fired. At George Island, we offered two sets of hikes and kayaking.
5/7/2025
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National Geographic Sea Lion
Inian Islands, Port Althorp
The Inian Islands invoke sheer joy and excitement among the naturalists, which in turn, is transferred to the guests. We set out in Zodiacs, traversing in nearly unprecedented calm conditions through the narrow Mosquito Pass, then around North Inian Island. We observed over a dozen bald eagles and sea lions waiting for the inrushing tide to bring fish to the surface for easy pickings. We also saw a couple of male sea otters peacefully lying on the surface while fluffing up their fur to introduce air for insulation (they don’t have blubber). The weather was classic Alaska…sun grading to rain…then to partly cloudy. In the afternoon, we traveled to Port Althorp for kayaking and hikes. Again, very calm conditions with intermittent sun and rain. The hikes were beautiful, winding across the mud flats and into the thick rainforest painted with several shades of green. Bear trails were observed and used by us as convenient paths to follow. Kayakers slowly paddled across glassy water to enjoy the peace and solitude. The day ended with soft sun.
