BALD & BEAUTIFUL IN ALASKA

The North American 'bald' eagle name was derived from an archaic old world reference to the word "piebald" meaning marked with white.

He was wet, wild and ever watchful, his fierce beauty a testament to the strength and freedom he’d come to symbolize for all Americans since 1787.  
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Without a doubt wet, wild (with anticipation), and ever watchful was the modus operandi for those of us brazen/crazy enough to take to the water in a small boat during such nasty weather.    

Ketchikan, Alaska's southernmost town, boasts two seasons - wet & wetter - & moderate temperatures year round.

Inclement weather is the order of the day when it comes to the “Rain Capital of Alaska.”  Annual rainfall in Ketchikan is 162 inches, whereas back home in the Chicago area average yearly rainfall is almost 37 inches. Would you believe Seattle only averages 38 inches per year, while the soggiest city in the lower 48 is Mobile, Alabama. But I digress.

Ketchikan locals take the ‘liquid sunshine’ (162 inches equates to a daily rainfall of 2.25 inches in this temperate maritime location) in stride, moving about their business decked out in rain boots and resolve.  

One would be passenger passed on the tour and the possibility of being a little green around the gills.

Then there are those of us crazy/adventurous enough to risk life, limb, and stomach contents, like travel buddy Diane, and Jim.

Tourists who pay good money to visit Alaska learn to do the same.   

The only thing dry the day of our tour was Captain Rob’s humor.

We bundled up and bore down for the duration, a 3-hour tour (brings to mind the theme song from the TV sitcom, Gilligan’s Island) of this small portion of Alaska’s Alexander Archipelago (often simply called Alaska’s Inside Passage) courtesy of Captain Rob.  

The now defunct Guard Island Lighthouse is a lonely sentinel dedicated to preserving the past.

That’s right – we saw one lighthouse, breezed by a few totems 50 yards away, and sighted at least a dozen different eagles.

Ketchikan boasts the largest collection of totem poles in the world, a cultural icon of the Native Americans (Tlingit-Haida Indians).

Rob delivered on his promise – Lighthouse, Totems & EAGLES, giving new meaning to the phrase, ‘come hell or high water.’ 

There was the warm and cozy view.

And there was the more wet and wild view.

The 300-mile-long chain of islands (over a thousand) hugging the mainland of British Columbia was named for Tsar Alexander II of Russia.  Russia controlled most of what is now considered Alaska until the United States purchased all 663,268 square miles in 1867 for $7.2 million, roughly two cents per acre. 

Holy hindsight!
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And to think in the day this budget buy was labeled “Seward’s folly” and “Seward’s Icebox” by Congress and the press after the man responsible for pushing this deal through, U.S. Secretary of State William H. Seward, was ridiculed for his expansionist policies.  But I digress.  

The bald eagle is the only eagle that is found exclusively on the North American continent. Travel buddy Alan gets credit for this magnificent image.

Alaska is home to the largest population of bald eagles in the U.S.   

​Makes sense; this wilderness wonderland (52% of Alaska, or 56,575,848 acres is pure wilderness) is the largest U.S. state, twice as big as the state of Texas, larger than the combined area of the 22 smallest states, with a coastline longer than that of the lower 48 combined.   Simply put, Alaska’s Inside Passage is a beautiful, pristine world of wilderness, water, and wildlife;

Home, sweet home, back in the day!

and the occasional abandoned lumberjack camp/barge.

This guy was giving us the ‘eagle eye’ as we sailed past his rocky perch.

The bald eagle was front and center in that world from the moment we departed Ketchikan.   

Alaska's Inside Passage is the fast lane for many cruise ships.

The waters of these rocky straits are littered with sunken ships.

As an opportunistic carnivore with an appetite for fresh fish, it stands to reason bald eagles would like living within close proximity of a large body of open water. Southeast Alaska is equal parts land and sea divvied up in large chunks. 

Because male bald eagles often do more of the foraging for food, they tend to have leaner, smaller bodies then the females. I can relate.

Large, tall trees are also part of the equation for these mighty birds of prey with a wingspan between 6 and 8 feet.  Most live in large nests measuring up to 9 feet in diameter weighing in as much as 2 tons.      

Holy homestead!

Imagine the taxes on all that real estate. 

Fledging (when nestlings make their first flight) typically occurs around 12 weeks of age.

Then again, home is where the heart is and where all those little nestlings (baby eagles) will grow to be as big as their parents before they spread their wings and fly.  Picture four Sumo wrestlers in one little Volkswagen Beetle by the time those not so little nestlings have flown the coop and the rationale behind all that real estate makes sense. Full independence for the nestlings varies considerably, occurring anywhere between several weeks to several months after fledging.   

Ah, yes; my own little chickadees exhibited similar behaviors. From time to time, a few even needed a little coaxing to fly the coop.   

Eagles can fly up to 30 mph and dive at 100 mph.

Indeed, I came away from my wet, wild and wonderful Alaskan experience with a new appreciation for the cycle of life and the beauty bestowed in this noble gift. 

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