A cool morning greeted us in the vicinity of Mosquito Pass, already in the Inians. Rain sheets covered the mountains off in the distance, as we saw humpback whale after humpback whale, as well as dozens of birds (mostly gulls) in a feeding frenzy near the behemoths. Immediately on crossing the pass we turned to starboard and anchored in what is known as “The Hobbit Hole.” Here we had breakfast, and commenced our fantastic expedition landing craft ride to that area in this group of islands facing the open Pacific, where an enormous number of fish enter the upper part of the Inside Passage. Here we saw numbers of Steller sea lions, which are almost double the size of California sea lions, feeding in the area, as well as harbor seals, harbor porpoise, sea otters, and a large array of seabirds, all working diligently at obtaining their food in this tremendously rich part of the world. Eagles, ravens, crows, gulls of many different species, pigeon guillemots, marbled murrelets, and big numbers of cormorants.
Back on board we relocated to Port Althorpe, a small bay that at one time was extensively logged. As we considered beginning our landing, we spied a large brown bear, also called a grizzly, wandering along the rocky beach, in the direction where we were to kayak! So we enjoyed the sight till the animal hurried into the forest again. With a bit of care we began landing and commencing our afternoon adventures: hiking along the meadow’s edge with quite a few flowering plants visible already, including chocolate lilies and wild strawberries, out to an abandoned barge and a series of huge logs tied together with thick steel cables and chains. Everything rusted completely!
In the meantime, some of us paddled along in our kayaks, having the whole bay as our backyard. And then it became time for everybody to return to our ship for our Recap and Carlos’ film of yesterday’s dive, with our purser, Cassidy O’Bryant. A complete day, without doubt!
