We took a boat out of Auke Bay (near Juneau) to watch for whales. We passed Admiralty Island, home of the highest concentration of brown bears in the world. The Tlingit people call this island "Kootznoowoo," which means "Fortress of the Bear."


We saw a host of humpbacks breaching the water. One even did a lunge feed, thrusting out of the water, mouth full of krill-rich water. Several harbor seals swam in the wake of the whales, picking up scraps. A buoy we passed held three sleeping sea lions and a bald eagle to boot.

On the way back, we passed by the Juneau branch of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), one of my favorite resources.