Wild Wildlife All Around in Alaska by Molli Bichrt

I am 16 years old attending the Hudson High School and I participated in the Green Edventures trip to Alaska.  This coming year I will be a junior. I enjoy sports (such as soccer) and love to be outdoors.

July 9, 2010

We all awoke to a great surprise – sunshine! After eating a hearty breakfast, we hopped in the van and headed down to Resurrection Bay. We were loaded onto the boat the Stellar Sunrise and jetted off to Holgate Glacier. On our way, we had the pleasure of seeing sea otters, a humpback whale, sea lions, and puffins. The whale appeared several times and splashed out of the water through its blow hole. About 2 hours later, we arrived at the base of Holgate Glacier, where the glacial ice meets the ocean.

After the shock of how beautiful it was wore off, we ate lunch and learned about the glacier. it moves at a rate of 2ft per day. The water in close proximity to the glacier is so full of silt that a secchi disk could only be seen 9 inches from the surface. At this point in time, the sun slid behind the clouds and the wind started to gain speed so Captain Tanya thought it would be a smart idea to trek back to the calm waters of Resurrection Bay.

On our journey home, we viewed starfish, jellyfish, bald eagles, and several birds including marbled murelette, common mures, pigeon gilamonts, and black-legged kittwakes. At one point in time, a couple of Dall Porpoise swam along the bow of the boat. All around, it was a fascinating day full of wildlife and fun experiences.