Sept 12-14
Hi All,
Wednesday, 9/12: John-boy woke up not well at all…..hmmmm….fever, aches, chills….arghhh!!!! How in the heck can you get sick when you have not been around people for a while….glacier ice maybe….ODG say it isn’t so:))) With the help of Advil we made the 17nm run to Blue Mouse Cove, supposedly the most popular anchorage in GB….AND, all to ourselves….so a rather short day…..along the way we went by Gloomy Knob again and there they were….we saw 7 mountain goats….WOW….very impressive animals…..huge white, fluffy, shaggy fur…..maybe the size of a small/medium size deer…males and females, all scattered along the sides/ledges of this miniature Half Dome….we were both doing the Happy Dance as we have been trying to find these elusive animals for months!!!
And another huge, much larger than the other day, Surf Scoter raft…..this one maybe 300 yards long….maybe over 1000 birds….wow….we read they overwinter here. Many were flapping wings and doing various bird dances….maybe another mating ritual or just loving life???
We made the anchorage and John-boy slept the rest of the day…..Nurse Kathy made homemade chicken soup….THE Cure…. and I woke up the next day all better….TG!!!! The clouds did come in overnight and we had a light rain in the am….not enough to wash all the salt off Mystic, but some!! We left around 10am for the passage to Geikie Inlet.
A few interesting facts about Glacier Bay from literature the Rangers gave us:
Whales: We have not seen any whales which is quiet surprising and very disappointing. The Rangers did say they had seen some a few days before we arrived so hopefully they are still here. But, per the article we read, “the Hawaii-Alaska Humpback whale population, while overall increasing and were taken off the Endangered Species List in 2016, the population in GB is declining since 2014. Some whales that have returned for decades are no longer here…either changed their summer migratory pattern or died. And, very few calves have been observed in the last few years and more whales appear to be malnourished. Researchers suspect the quantity and quality of their food supply is the cause. The food depletion maybe the result of the warming trend in the Pacific or indicate the whales are facing stiff competition for the limited food resources”. We certainly have seen the over fished condition of the Pacific, especially in SE Asia and maybe in the Bering Sea.
Otters: ODG….this is like otter central….we have seen many rafts….some 10 or 30 otters long…and do they love life!! Such a joy to sit and watch these critters play!! In 1980 the population was down to 5….yes FIVE…..they then brought in otters from the Aleutians and now the population is close to 10,000!!! We think that is the reason there are no crabs in the bay….it was the Rangers who told us no crabs but we were free to try. Then again, some of our books reference the anchorages being so full of commercial crab pots it was hard to find a spot….so it could have been over crabbed!!
Glacier Bay Ecology: I think what is the most astonishing/fascinating aspect of GB is how young the area is post-glaciers. It seems almost barren compared to the temperate rain forests of SE Alaska. “A retreating glacier exposes a scoured, rocky landscape, scraped bare by ice and rock embedded in the bottom of the glacier. Patches of rubble, sand and silt offer the foothold to wind-borne seed and the spores of lichen and moss. Moss and lichens are the first plants to grow and produce acids that help break down the rocks. Over the course of a few years, the seeds of fireweed and willows sprout. Plants such as alder and lupine help fix the atmospheric nitrogen to the mineral soil, making it more fertile. Decomposing leaves contribute to the developing soil, and spruce, willow and cottonwood begin to sprout. Over time the succession of colonizing plants transforms the landscape into a temperate rain forest”!!!!
Wow….who knew….AND, we have been struck by how barren GB is, especially in the north by most of the glaciers. You can almost see this ecological transformation on many mountains as you peruse from top to bottom…..absolutely amazing!!!! We are sooooo glad and feel very appreciative and blessed to have seen all this!!!!
Thursday 9/13: We made the 24nm passage to Geikie Inlet…..a very picturesque inlet with a couple of small fiords off it. Some amazing scenery….it seems as we go further south the forests are becoming more mature full of bigger Spruce forests and the cottonwoods are turning to their golden fall colors!! We did see 2 more large Brown bears and then John shouts out “wolf”. For about a minute I was able to observe a gray/black wolf trotting along the shoreline. Kathy was not able to locate the wolf before it darted back into the forest….drats!!!
We made our anchorage in Shag Cove around 1:30pm…..anchored in 90’…deep…..just another DDG anchorage with large mountains surrounding us and a quiet salmon stream/meadow in front of us. We did see 2 more bears, but these were Black bears….each caught maybe 3-4 salmon…..priceless to watch!!!!
Friday 9/14: HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAVID….that’s our youngest son!!! This was a very long day but oh my….83nm in trawler conditions….some ebb/flood tidal currents. We went up the East Arm….into the John Muir and Wachusett Inlets…..very few cruise ships if any come into this arm as some of it is closed until 8/31. We got an early start at 0700….and good news, the anchorage was very calm…..the forecast had been for 20-30kt winds but we had ZERO overnight….yea!!! As we crossed over from West to East Kathy yells out whale….ODG….yes….in the distance 2-3 miles out we saw whale blow several times….well, at least one is here!!! The whole day was a lesson in receding glaciers and the evolution of the plant life. The mountains were smaller than on the east….in the 3-8k range but very dramatic….as in just carved in the last 25-100 years….in many places it was like the rocks and soil had not moved since the glacier went by…..not a stone unturned. None of the glaciers were tidewater except McBride…but access was blocked by a very small inlet with ice flow and the glacier itself is hidden via a dogleg….but it was a sight to see many stranded icebergs on the moraine as the waters ebbed out. We did see the John Muir, Riggs, Casement, Cushings, White and Burroughs glaciers….what a day!!!
Close to Adams Inlet we started to see some ice bergs….and on one rather large flat one we saw maybe 10-15 otters laying out….as we slowly approached we saw it was moms and pups….some nursing some just resting and some playing….we stayed of a good distance and just watched this happy group….and yes, they do look somewhat like weasels out of the water….one of the few times we have seen otters on an iceberg….normally it has been Harbor Seals.
We also saw more mountain goats as we went by Mount Wright, 5k’, maybe 20+ all grazing on small meadows or on steep ledges, rather high up….beautiful!!! And another Surf Scoter bird raft…..the biggest yet…..1/4 mile long and maybe 20 yards wide…thousands of birds!!!!
As we were approaching our anchorage, North Sandy Cove, along Beartrack Mountains….hmmm…..gotta luv that name….at around 6pm….Kathy yells out whale….and there off our bow maybe 300-400 yards was a small Humpback….a few blows then a gorgeous small tale….it had gone deep…..we eventually saw it again but way behind us. We made our anchorage….anchor down in 50′, passage beers open by 6:30pm…..we were both pretty tired from all the sensory overload of the day…..but another memorable day!!
The Plan: We are going to stay put for a day or so….we are both tired, especially the Admiral…..I’ll putz around setting up the new crab and prawn pot that we bought in Sitka. As we go further south in the park and then go outside to Excursion Bay and Hoonah we hope to start crabbing/prawning again!!
Whale count on passage: 2 total
Total Whale Count since Japan: 103; 47 Humpbacks, 34 Orcas, 3 Sperms, 3 Blue, 11 Fin, 5 Unknown
Total Bear Count: 209: 132 Alaska Brown; 57 Kodiak Brown; 10 Black
Bear Count: 2 Shag Cove (Black), 2 Geikie Inlet (Browns), 1 Skag Bay (black), 1 Reid Inlet, 4 Russell Island, 1 Shag cove, 2 Jade Harbor, 5 Humpback Cove, 1 Otter Cove, 1 Hoggs Head, 10 Silver Salmon Creek; 40+ by seaplane; 17 Kukak Bay, 43 Geographic Harbor, 44 Kitoi, 12 Alpine Cove, 1 Three Saints, 22 Volcano Bay
Crab Count: Not crabbing
Total Dungeness Crab Count: 35
Mountain Goat Count: 27 total; 20 Mt Wright, East Arm; 7 at Gloomy Knob, Glacier Bay
Wolves: 2; 1 Geikie Inlet, 1 Kukak Bay
Hope all is well!!
John
Mystic Moon
GO MYSTIC GO!!!
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