The choices seemed endless for our explorations in Haines, Alaska today. We followed our interests and curiosity and ended up flying over glaciers, hiking to a mountain top, walking the Canadian tundra, bicycling around bear scat, filling our chest waders with refreshing Chilkoot River water (some call it fly fishing), floating down the scenic and salmon filled Chilkat River, and enjoying the coastal rainforest. The lively chatter in the lounge this evening while we shared the stories of our day was the proof in the pudding that a good time was had by all.
5/7/2025
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National Geographic Sea Lion
Inian Islands, Port Althorp
The Inian Islands invoke sheer joy and excitement among the naturalists, which in turn, is transferred to the guests. We set out in Zodiacs, traversing in nearly unprecedented calm conditions through the narrow Mosquito Pass, then around North Inian Island. We observed over a dozen bald eagles and sea lions waiting for the inrushing tide to bring fish to the surface for easy pickings. We also saw a couple of male sea otters peacefully lying on the surface while fluffing up their fur to introduce air for insulation (they don’t have blubber). The weather was classic Alaska…sun grading to rain…then to partly cloudy. In the afternoon, we traveled to Port Althorp for kayaking and hikes. Again, very calm conditions with intermittent sun and rain. The hikes were beautiful, winding across the mud flats and into the thick rainforest painted with several shades of green. Bear trails were observed and used by us as convenient paths to follow. Kayakers slowly paddled across glassy water to enjoy the peace and solitude. The day ended with soft sun.
