Tenakee Inlet and Basket Bay, Chichagof Island, Southeast Alaska
Early this morning the ship slowed and we were called on deck to view a young humpback whale that was breaching repeatedly very close to the ship. We were in Iyoukeen Cove, on the west side of Chatham strait and the east side of Chichagof Island. Breaching is when a whale jumps clear, or nearly clear of the water. It is wonderful to see the spectacular behavior of an endangered animal in its natural environment, but it is still a mystery as to why they do it. Studies have shown that it does not take a tremendous amount of energy to launch their bodies out of the water. Their tail flukes, powered by very long, strong muscles, propel them efficiently through the viscous medium, their long “arms” (pectoral fins) flailing in the air. They usually twist to take the impact on their back. And if you miss the breach, the splash is also impressive as tons of whale hits the surface. This whale, which may have recently been weaned from its mother, treated us to many other surface behaviors, including pectoral fin slapping, lobtailing, and tail throws.
Later we entered Tenakee Inlet a short way to the south. A report of a bear took us to the end of a smaller bay where we quietly watched a brown bear cross a meadow. Constantly in search of food, bears at this time of year are in a state of hyperphagia in preparation for a long winter. Their varied diet includes salmon as they return in multitude to freshwater streams from the ocean. The bears will need to live off their fat stores until they emerge from their dens next spring.
We back-tracked, anchored, and went ashore for walks in the meadows and forest. Before the rising tide covered the mudflats, the young people in the group peeked under rocks and found small crabs and other critters. We also found perfect molts that growing crabs had backed out of and left behind. Salmon were returning to their natal stream to spawn and nurture the bears, eagles, and the next generation of salmon. They are part of a huge cycle that brings in nutrients from the rich ocean and are incorporated into the forest.
August is the month when many fungal fruiting bodies appear in Southeast Alaska’s coastal forest. They come in many shapes, colors and sizes. Some are hallucinogenic and poisonous, like the Amanita species that many people saw today. Others are quite edible, including this large specimen of a King bolete (Boletus edulis), which is one of the most delicious. Instead of having gills like some fungi, there are tiny pores in which spores form. Being neither plant nor animal, but having characteristics of both, fungi have their own kingdom. They cannot make their own food and therefore must have other strategies to obtain nutrients. We generally only notice the conspicuous parts and do not realize that most of the organism is hidden within the trees and the soil. Fungi play a very important role as recyclers in forest ecology.
In the afternoon we emerged from Tenakee Inlet and cruised a short way to the south and entered Basket Bay. Here a small stream has sculpted a secret grotto in the ancient and exotic limestone-turned-marble. One at a time our Zodiacs entered a hidden channel to marvel at the formations, part of the Alexander terrane that may have originated from near where Australia is situated today. We noticed crystals of garnet embedded within the marble, which indicate metamorphic temperatures that reached at least 600 degrees F. It seemed like another world into which we escaped for a few minutes.
To top off the afternoon the young people were offered a chance to learn how to drive a Zodiac. They piled into the inflatables and took turns zooming around and maneuvering in the bay.
Early this morning the ship slowed and we were called on deck to view a young humpback whale that was breaching repeatedly very close to the ship. We were in Iyoukeen Cove, on the west side of Chatham strait and the east side of Chichagof Island. Breaching is when a whale jumps clear, or nearly clear of the water. It is wonderful to see the spectacular behavior of an endangered animal in its natural environment, but it is still a mystery as to why they do it. Studies have shown that it does not take a tremendous amount of energy to launch their bodies out of the water. Their tail flukes, powered by very long, strong muscles, propel them efficiently through the viscous medium, their long “arms” (pectoral fins) flailing in the air. They usually twist to take the impact on their back. And if you miss the breach, the splash is also impressive as tons of whale hits the surface. This whale, which may have recently been weaned from its mother, treated us to many other surface behaviors, including pectoral fin slapping, lobtailing, and tail throws.
Later we entered Tenakee Inlet a short way to the south. A report of a bear took us to the end of a smaller bay where we quietly watched a brown bear cross a meadow. Constantly in search of food, bears at this time of year are in a state of hyperphagia in preparation for a long winter. Their varied diet includes salmon as they return in multitude to freshwater streams from the ocean. The bears will need to live off their fat stores until they emerge from their dens next spring.
We back-tracked, anchored, and went ashore for walks in the meadows and forest. Before the rising tide covered the mudflats, the young people in the group peeked under rocks and found small crabs and other critters. We also found perfect molts that growing crabs had backed out of and left behind. Salmon were returning to their natal stream to spawn and nurture the bears, eagles, and the next generation of salmon. They are part of a huge cycle that brings in nutrients from the rich ocean and are incorporated into the forest.
August is the month when many fungal fruiting bodies appear in Southeast Alaska’s coastal forest. They come in many shapes, colors and sizes. Some are hallucinogenic and poisonous, like the Amanita species that many people saw today. Others are quite edible, including this large specimen of a King bolete (Boletus edulis), which is one of the most delicious. Instead of having gills like some fungi, there are tiny pores in which spores form. Being neither plant nor animal, but having characteristics of both, fungi have their own kingdom. They cannot make their own food and therefore must have other strategies to obtain nutrients. We generally only notice the conspicuous parts and do not realize that most of the organism is hidden within the trees and the soil. Fungi play a very important role as recyclers in forest ecology.
In the afternoon we emerged from Tenakee Inlet and cruised a short way to the south and entered Basket Bay. Here a small stream has sculpted a secret grotto in the ancient and exotic limestone-turned-marble. One at a time our Zodiacs entered a hidden channel to marvel at the formations, part of the Alexander terrane that may have originated from near where Australia is situated today. We noticed crystals of garnet embedded within the marble, which indicate metamorphic temperatures that reached at least 600 degrees F. It seemed like another world into which we escaped for a few minutes.
To top off the afternoon the young people were offered a chance to learn how to drive a Zodiac. They piled into the inflatables and took turns zooming around and maneuvering in the bay.
