Like people,/ emerging from a steambath,/ bending over,/ steaming from their heads/ and shoulders,/ the ring of the mountains/ from the Chilkat Range/ to the Juneau ice field/ as if in the steambath towels/ of the snow flurries;/ At their feet, are foaming white caps of the sea/ Like water thrown on rocks/ steaming from the heat.

— The Storm, From Life Woven with Song, by Nora Marks Dauenhauer

By Shawna Marbourg

We woke up today on “Christmas Tree Island” around seven to the sound of a humpback whale feeding just feet from the shoreline, breathing out deep whooshes of air, and casually flapping its giant flippers on the surface of the water. The weather had taken a decidedly downward slide–the wind had picked up and steady waves blew up the bay. Ominous clouds rolled over the Chilkat Range and cloaked the peaks, which had appeared so glorious only 12 hours before.

After rolling up our sleeping bags and pads we all headed down to the beach for some breakfast. That day we had oatmeal with powdered milk, raisins, chocolate chips, and/or almonds. After packing up our tents, we then packed up the kayaks and headed out for the day. Today was one of the longer legs of our trip, about 15 miles of paddling through Beartrack Cove to Garforth Island. At the start of the day you could only see about 100 feet in front of you, but the fog slowly cleared up as the day went on. It was drizzling on and off while we made our way to Garforth Island. We got to see a sea otter pretty early on during our paddling and we also saw a pod of porpoise before lunch.

There were also many different birds along the way of varying species, mainly glaucous-winged gulls. We made a couple of stops that day before arriving at camp. The first stop was for lunch after we had gone about seven miles. We had tortillas filled with canned chicken, lettuce, croutons, parmesan, and dressing. It was a rather brief stop because we still had eight miles or so left until we would reach our destination. Our second stop was about two miles from where we would make camp. We stopped to pick up a sleeping pad for Mackenzie since she had forgotten hers and also so that I could change kayaking partners. After switching, we all went the last few miles to camp and then got set up after we arrived. There was an oyster catcher on the beach near us who was running around with a baby which was fun to see.

The oyster catcher male on the beach (the nest is under the log with the dead grass on the left. Mom and chicks are out of the frame.

Up close and personal with the male oyster catcher, who was doing a “broken wing display” to lead us away from the female and young.

After watching the oyster catcher for a little while, I was so exhausted from paddling that I took a four hour nap. I woke up just in time for dinner and we all got to have spaghetti which really hit the spot. After dinner Condor and Sean (our guides) brought out snickers and peanut butter cups to boost morals. There was a fire going to help keep warm and also to help dry out our clothes. Marco had started his discussion earlier in the trip and he continued it around the fire. His discussion centered on work, play, and recreation in the environment and how all of these activities impact the environment, and yet connect us with it in different ways–leading to similar and different understandings of the natural world. Everyone talked about the impacts of each activity on the environment and whether they thought that the impact of each activity was worth the experience they would gain from doing each activity. After Marco finished his discussion, we all hung around the fire for a little while longer to warm up and then we all headed to bed.