April 11-13
Hi All,
Hey Kathy…..I see a wolf…where….over on the small ridge on that protected island….no John, that is a German Shepherd…really, did you just say that….OMG…..that is a wolf….oh, how beautiful…..oh no, he’s running away, wait, he’s stopped, giving us stink eye….I had already put Mystic in neutral and we were ~500 yards away but he did not like Mystic so close….he started to run again…..got to the edge of the island and jumped in….we then noticed 2 more wolves already swimming ahead of him….all 3 swam about 200 yards to the next island….Division…..all 3 shook off the water and then started prancing down the shoreline….one was dark grey, one light red, and then the German Shepherd:))))….maybe a 10 minute viewing….all through binocs but WOW, WOW, WOW…..by far our best wolf sighting ever!!!!
We have been working with a local woman in Skagway about a tour and Sherry wrote us this on the wolves: “WOLVES!!?!?!?!? NO WAY!!!!! Seriously that is amazing! They are very elusive and rarely seen during the day— let alone from a boat…..if you have seen wolves, it means you are charmed! Honestly, unique sightings are a gift from nature. I think nature kind of holds out until there is someone present who REALLY appreciates what is presented to them.”!!!
“We had another friend write us after our day seeing the glaciers: You have perfectly captured the reason to overwinter in Sitka. This early show is just for you! You- appreciators of Mother Earth in all her splendor ❤️. It calls for a classical soundtrack with the clouds coming and going – brilliant sun, the sound of waterfalls and chattering sea life. You are indeed in heaven friends.”
We couldn’t agree more….although we do spend hours some days just looking…yes, we are easily entertained….but it is indeed that one sighting that keeps you coming back….and yes, we do feel very blessed to still be cruising our beautiful country!!
We had left Reid glacier around 9:30am on Thursday 4/11. But first, we cruised down to the front of Reid glacier, maybe 1 mile, and took it all in…..we also tried to decide what looked like a man made ski/sled run on the west shore….wait until you see the pictures….a run built up on the sides, maybe 100 yards long on a gradual slope leading to the shoreline….and there were two of these built….certainly seemed man made but I suppose it could have been a snow covered rock slide but we are going with man made…..Rangers and bears at winter play…oh my:)))!!
We made the 23nm run to Hugh Miller Inlet….this inlet is closed to all motorized boats from 5/1-9/15 so we missed it last year. As we passed through the inlet….a series of doglegs around protected islands into Charpentier Inlet we passed by a year-round protected island where we spotted the 3 wolves. We do not know why the island is protected, must be some bird habitat, but if 3 wolves were on the island then not much is going to survive. As it was, we did not see any critters other than the wolves…..curious. Maybe they were just looking for goodies as it was low tide!!
We proceeded to find our own anchorage at the western tip of Division Island….40-55′ deep in mud/broken rock….but, 125-200 yards from shore….will have to keep an eye on that rocky shoreline…ugh!!! After a passage beer and a nap, dinghy down and proceeded to set up the prawn trap and found a good spot ~350′ deep. Back to Mystic, then sat outside in the cockpit….clouds did come in but before the sun was partially out and it was 59*F in the cockpit…felt warm:))) Then….Kathy yells…wolf….and there on the beach, about 200 yards away, was another wolf….dark grey….could it have been the one before…hmmm, seemed darker…..this one also jumped in the water and swam 50 yards to the mainland, shook off, gave us stink eye for a bit, then pranced off…..oh, and during this viewing I got a glimpse of a 2nd one…..light red, running along a far shore….for just a few seconds!!!!
Hugh Miller inlet leads into Charpentier and Scidmore Bay…..DDG…..beautiful waters surround by very deeply covered in snow mountains….5-7k’ high. The 2nd day no wolf sightings….but I did go prawning….drum roll please….a total of 1, ONE, UNO…..prawning sucks…..arghhhhhhh!!!!! The 2nd day was worse…..Nada, Zip, zilch……whaaaaaaaa!! We should name this Bay otter raft central….must have been several rafts of 30+ otters at any given time…..so cute and playful!!!
Oh…..we are not alone….I was scanning the mountains and see 3 people up on the very top of a ridge….maybe 2-3k’ high….ODG….they are skiing down…..beautiful sight and good for them…..about 2 hours later we see them walking on the far shore, get into a dinghy and travel out of the Inlet. We had seen a lone sailboat in the Blue Mouse anchorage…..first boat we had seen other than a Ranger boat, maybe 2-3 miles from us and wonder if that was them…..but how cool to hike up in this backcountry and ski down….oh, to be so young and adventuresome!!!
On Saturday, April 13 we moved to North Finger Bay, ~18nm…..anchored near a river….seemed idyllic at the time but during the day we noticed how muddy the waters were….no making water in this bay. Also, not as much wildlife as other anchorages….curious…..seems like prime territory….as we came in the bay from Whidbey Pass there were a gazillion birds and otters….but not much activity in the Bay???? But then, it was cocktail time and nature exploded all around us…..everyone came in from the channel I guess to overnight in the calm bay…..harbor porpoises, harbor seals, otters, too many to name species of ducks & gulls….but no bears, wolves or moose….wow!!!
Sunlight: Days are now much longer; sunrise 6am, sunset 8:15pm…..>14 hours of sunlight and add in dawn and dusk hours over 16 hours of light….time for the port hole black out shades…..whoa!!!! The last few days have been mainly sunny yielding more of these spectacular sights of glacier carved snow covered mountains. We also saw in Fingers Bay the first buds opening on some bushes….Spring is almost here!!! The forecast is to have 2-3 days of unsettled, cloudy, light rain, typical SE Alaska weather!! Temps have been in the low 40’s to upper 50’s in the sun!!!
The Plan: Finger Bay is our last stop in GB:((((( On Sunday April 14 we will move to Port Frederick Bay, about 48nm. This is about 5 miles south of Hoonah. Several locals told us about the Bay….we hope to do some prawning and crabbing….we shall see!!
Critter Stats:
Dungeness crab: 9
Prawns: 3 Spotted
Whales: 10 Humpbacks
Salmon: 0
Bears: 1
Wolves: 5
Otters: 400+, ~50% with pups
Mountain Goats: total 27, saw 6 more on Knobby Hill on the way in to Hugh Miller
Stellar Sea Lions: ~350, saw another ~50 on Tarr inlet
Hope all is well!
John
Mystic Moon
N. Finger Bay, Glacier Bay
GO MYSTIC GO!!
Position: 58 34’59.41 N, 136 12’49.10 W
Course: Stopped.
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