Rugged shoreline of Akutan Island. This is a wild part of Alaska that not many people get to see.
We went to check out this rock to see if any rare birds might be nesting on it, but instead, Christian ended up climbing it.
Expedition Cruising can take you to some pretty off-the-beaten-path kind of places. We have made it past the Alaskan Peninsula, and out to the Aleutian Islands. Our stop today took us to the very rugged coastline of Akutan Island. Fog hung to the cliffs, which jutted up like turrets of a castle. Birds flew around us and sea lions swam out to check out our small boats. We had planned for kayaking this morning along the cliffs and into the caves, but the offshore winds had other plans. So we shifted to exploring by our small boats in the morning, and then landing in a beautiful valley in the afternoon.
The morning skiff tour brought puffins, seal, and sea lion encounters. We even did a short landing to hike up into some of the most beautiful long grass above the beach. The wind ripped through the grass creating waves of motion. We delved deep into a sea cave with the small boats, popping out a hundred yards later into a secret secluded cove. It was extra hard navigating through the cave as the wind ripped through and we only had inches from the roof to the top of the boat in some places. We had to get the guests to crouch down on the deck of the boat to make it. Down the coast we were also treated to our first whiskered auklet sighting, only to have it attacked by a peregrine falcon a moment later. Luckily it dove underwater just in time.
The afternoon was spent ashore, exploring the deep valley of Hot Springs Bay. We had heard there were hot springs, farther up the valley. We sent a group of hard chargers up to find the springs, bathing suits in-hand. Then I took a group of shorewalkers and meadow-pokers to explore the shoreline of the bay. The beach was very soft black sand. There were several large lancetfish that had washed ashore here. I had to look them up, as they are a pretty rare deep-sea fish, that I hadn't come across in my extensive experience. The eagles were feasting on the head of the freshest remains. We saw cows deeper in the valley. They have gone feral, but are still harvested by the native tribe from time to time.
The meadow was full of wildflowers. We took our time, meandering through it all. Since we didn't have to worry about bears, we could spread out and relax a bit. Everyone soaked up being on such a remote, rugged island. The views in all directions were magnificent. These Aleutian islands are a special place indeed.
A few storm petrels ended up landing on our boat. We rescued a few and cheered as they flew off.
A beautiful shot of a natural rock arch and our mobile adventure platform, the Safari Explorer, in the background. Looks like nice conditions for kayaking today!
The rolling green hills of Akutan Island in the Aleutian Island chain.
We spent the afternoon exploring Hot Springs Bay on Akutan. The rugged cliffs, green meadows, and long black sand beach kept us busy looking for treasures and photos.
This is the kind of shoreline that I want to explore by skiff or kayak. The kelp doe get stuck around the propeller but it flattens out the water.
Wild lupine on our shoreline exploration of Hot Springs Bay, Akutan.
The views from the beach here on Akutan were just stellar.
This is where the lazy river that winds its way through the valley cuts its way out through the beach at Hot Springs Bay. I felt the water in several places to see if it was warm, but no luck. The springs, which are around 170 degrees, are way up the valley.
Christian checking out Sandy Cove on our scouting mission.
A pack of sea lions swimming under the cliffs of Akutan Island.
Another cool rock arch. We got close to this one with the small boats, but couldn't make it through.
Our hard chargers landing at the beach to explore deeper into Akutan Island.
These are the remains of a lancetfish. I had never come across one of these before. It is a deeper ocean fish with a long dorsal fin, kind of like a sailfish. It also has some pretty sharp looking teeth.
This offshore rock looked like it had natural steps in it. Can you find Christian going for a climb?
Looking up the river and valley at Hot Springs Cove, Akutan.
Green upon green, Akutan.
I saw this rock up on the hillside, covered in beautiful wildflowers, and decided I had to divert up to it to take this photo. The fireweed give this beautiful scene a splash of bright pink.
Our small boat, pumped after exploring the bowels of this sea cave.
Robyn, excited during her tundra trudge.
The headless remains of a lancetfish.
Panorama of our uninhabited valley on Akutan. We spent the afternoon walking among wildflowers, winding rivers, and a beautiful beach.
As always, keep traveling and keep posting!
-Dai Mar