Pavlof Harbor
“The wise start each day with the thought… Fortune gives us nothing which we can really own.”
We wake up with the grandeur of Southeast Alaska all around us on National Geographic Sea Bird. Misty clouds define the mountain ranges that etch the famous edges of Chatham Strait between Admiralty and Baranof Islands. Our fortune is that we are here in the late summer months when all wildlife is feeding, everything is connected in some way to the sunlight that defines the higher latitudes between the equinoxes.
Humpback whales surface in synchronicity, their blows hanging in the moist morning air. Baleen whales exploit the lower portion of the food chain in these nutrient-rich waters using a variety of feeding strategies. Individuals feed sub-surface, straining small fish from the salty water. A few affiliate and feed cooperatively after setting a bubble net. Gulls fly overhead then low on the water in search of fish that the whales have forced to the surface, their fortune. We break for a delicious breakfast.
Nestled in the back of Pavlof Harbor is a waterfall where pink salmon are returning to spawn. Coastal brown bears work the rapids at the base of the falls, catching salmon, and selectively eating their favorite parts. A low tide exposes the tidal flats of this stream where sea stars, kelp, and barnacles cover the rocks. We find our fortune as one brown bear snorkels for fish, sits up in the middle of the stream, and feasts on pinks. Mew gulls, glaucous-winged gulls, and black-legged kittiwakes waited patiently for scraps, leaving little to return directly to the sea.
Kayaking, cruising, photography, and a peaceful afternoon snooze were the options while we scanned for other wildlife in the bays along the coastline. Whales still feeding in the late afternoon light provided a glimpse of the richness that abounds here in this coastal rain forest. One humpback whale exhibited yet another strategy for gathering small prey. Surface side-lunging. Bald eagles perched in Sitka spruce scanned for prey and took to flight graciously. Undersea specialist, Justin Hofman, recorded jellyfish, anemone, and sea slugs feeding underwater. Hotel manager, Taylor Ingram treated us to the “Tastes of Alaska” including wine, chocolate, Sitka root beer, kelp pickles, and sweet & spicy Alaska mustard.
We are wealthier for the moments of our first full day of exploration. An expedition gives us gifts, ones that we do not really own. Instead shared moments where we find ourselves a part of nature’s forces, connected to the basic rhythms of the ocean, sunlight, and food chain that nourish our next thoughts.
We are grateful and wiser with the day’s fortunes.
