It’s a Wildlife

It's remarkable how seldom we've seen wildlife on this trip. Jeff spotted a bear in Captains Cove. And that's it. No whales whatsoever. No dolphins. A few birds.

I'm quite certain it's not that there are fewer out there. We just don't look with the attention to it we did on earlier trips. I have to say it was primarily Kay's attention and eagle eyesight that allowed us to see a lot more than we do now. My vision has deteriorated over the years from poor to worse to the point where my expectation is so low I don't bother really looking for whales anymore. How many have we missed? I'll never know. 

I will always remember crossing Frederic Sound in southeast Alaska. Whales were everywhere. We'd see them traveling in groups up the coast, or hear them from miles away slapping their flukes on the water. We often saw their tails lift into the air as they sounded into the depths. We saw them breach the surface into the air and crash down dramatically.

One memorable day the whale was leaping out of the water so close to the boat that we feared it might hit us. Kay ran about the boat beating on the hull with a pot trying to steer it away.

I love the memory of all my trips out here in the wilds of British Columbia and Alaska, but that summer remains special. I am so grateful for all the Quijote crew that have made these trips possible. I've guided boat and crew and each of them in their own way has guided me. Many a crew member has allowed me to see what is right in front of me, probably all the way.