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Day11, 8/12/01
Weather: Foggy all day
Paddle: Acous to Brooks
Whales today. And we almost didn't leave camp. Foggy and drizzle when we get up and no one is in the mood to pack. But by noon the fog is thinning a little and we have all done enough sitting around that we were willing to load the boats.
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We had been paddling for 40 minutes and had stopped to discuss the route. Wendy, Marie, and I were discussing something when Joseph yells out "Whale". I realize that I heard it surface but I was to intent on our discussion to notice.
I look over and see where it had surfaced. Soon it comes up again: Long head, black back, small fin. I push my boat toward where it may surface and get out my... What should I do here? Get out my camera to record this or my binoculars to see it better? I choose my camera.
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I've been waiting years for this. To see a whale this close while in a small kayak! I generally have bad luck seeing the large mammals. I'll show up some place and people will tell me "You should have seen the whale here yesterday!"
It comes up right in front of me, first raising it's head up and showing me it's throat. It rolls and I large flipper comes up. I want to take a picture and I don't want to miss a moment. I do manage to take one photo with the whale's mid and rear flippers showing, I think. Later folks say they though it was checking us out. I didn't see its eye.
It dives again. It surfaces for breath several times. A ways out it breaches, but I miss half that as I'm swapping to binoculars.
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