One becomes accustomed to the sounds of the engine. Its gentle purr harmonizes with a rhythmic rush of water against the hull. It pulses regularly like the rush of blood in our arteries. If the cadence changes, a sudden state of wakefulness occurs. Such an event pulled us from our sleep this morning. An instant of confusion preceded the knowledge that there was something outside worth looking at. We had learned that lesson well only yesterday.
The outside world was wrapped in a cloak of white. The waters of Frederick Sound were a mercuric mirror reflecting images of ghostly fishing vessels passing by. Rippling concentric rings betrayed any object moving at or below the surface so there was no way to hide. Slowly the dark silhouette rose. Straight and tall, the six-foot dorsal fin of a male killer whale appeared. Then a female and its tiny calf followed. Two groups of four each were accounted for in all. With the coming of the sun, the curtain folded back to reveal forests of green and mountains high. And so we moved on with our day.
Helicopters carried some to glaciers high where crevasses of blue drew eyes deep inside. Float planes roared en route to Le Conte Bay where far below giant bergs were trapped within an arching glacial moraine. Two tiny Sitka black-tailed deer held three dozen humans hostage in a world of stunted growth and boggy soil where ponds and rivulets ran dark and acidic. Only when satisfied that the best browse near the trail had been savored were we released to pass. The "skinny part" of Wrangell Narrows was skillfully navigated. At its far southern end, we explored the habitats of Woewodski Island and relaxed on the shores of Lake Harvey.At the end of the day, the engine hums once more and we rest waiting for that change in the music to signal the start of another day.
