Our first morning in Southeast Alaska was spent cruising south through Stephens Passage. As we sailed down the 30 mile fjord of Endicott Arm, we took the time to notice small details such as the numerous waterfalls flowing down the steep granite cliffs and the lateral lines along the rock that were scraped as the glacier carved the fjord. Small icebergs became more abundant and we knew we were getting closer to Dawes glacier. The weather was a bit drizzly, but it was a beautiful morning-the air was calm and still and the blue hue of the glacier along with the low hanging clouds gave the area a majestic feel. The peacefulness was only interrupted by the white thunder of the calving glacier as ice came crashing into the water.
We were happily interrupted during our morning briefings with a sighting of a black bear that was grazing on barnacles in the intertidal zone. We watched the bear use its strong claws to scrape and feed on the small crustaceans. Still buzzing from the excitement of our first bear sighting, we came upon a coastal brown bear feeding on sedges. The brown bear was easily identified by the large hump behind the head, a feature not present in the black bears. Stephens Passage treated us very well today.
Shortly after lunch we had our first Southeast Alaskan landing at Williams Cove, a small inlet just inside Tracy Arm fjord. The trails are not maintained at Williams Cove, so we bushwhacked our way through the wilderness guided by our knowledgeable naturalists. We knew bears had recently been in the area from the many piles of scat we encountered, including scat filled with barnacles. The hikes were a nice introduction to the Tongass national rain forest and its greenery including: false lily-of-the-valley, dogwood flowers, salmon berries, devil’s claw, Sitka spruce, western hemlock, and more. For those who wanted some time on the water, kayaking among icebergs was available-the large icebergs dwarfed the kayaks. Our afternoon ashore ended with a complete rainbow, a silver lining to the rain.
As the evening winded down our wildlife encounters continued on. Dall’s porpoises splashed in our wake and humpback whales showed their flukes-a perfect after dinner treat!
