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| Fredrick Sound |
Chapin Bay is a cove we know nothing about except that it
provides good protection from the seas and wind of Frederick Sound and it is on
our way to one of our favorite spots, Red Bluff.
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| Entering Chapin Bay |
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| Eagle Confab |
Again, because Alaska is having a heat wave – which is now
making the national news – I feel compelled to say it a sunny and balmy 69
degrees. Maybe nothing to write home
about in the lower 48, but here – it’s the talk of the state. We
enter the inner harbor of Chapin Bay and are confronted with a bowl of
evergreen mountains – every imaginable shade of green - this is unexpected beauty. Our kayaks are launched for the grand tour of
the harbor. Eagles swoop by, deer on
shore grazing - perfect.
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| Frederick Sound |
The next morning an executive decision is made to stay
another day. We also decide to kayak the
outer harbor. Celestine is the only boat
in the bay and when we glimpse Frederick Sound in the distance, we realize that we
are the only boat anywhere - for miles and miles all we see are the majestic mountains
and a blue sky that melts into the glassy calm water – this never happens in
Frederick Sound. There are no signs of
any other human life, not even any float planes. This
is so enticing that we kayak right out into Frederick Sound.
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| Just me |
The only sounds audible around us are nature’s. Eagles, of course, are chirping, a few ravens
are arguing. Loons are singing and
fishing near us. Whales are breathing in
the distance and occasionally we see their spouts - a gigantic plume of air rising like misty fog - and
watch them pop up out of the water. Sea
lions are also grumbling and groaning on a nearby reef. Suddenly, we hear the unmistakable sound of
gun shots and the water around us is splashing … and there is a seal slapping
his tail on the water, creating a popping sound. Hmmmm.
We just sit in our kayaks taking in this banquet of beauty
when I hear more splashing directly behind my kayak – that seal is coming right
for me. Avenging his honor, no doubt,
after our skeptical response to his ability to make gunshot sounds. I quickly paddle away but the rest of the
afternoon, I can sense him stalking me and occasionally he shoots his head up
near me, just to let me know he’s watching.
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| Celestine in the distance |
We both feel that we’ve witnessed something profound today -
our insignificance in the grand scheme of life, the power of nature’s melodic symphony
and mother earth displaying her finest treasures.
Poetic!
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