On the national TV news a few days ago there was a brief clip about a tour boat in Hawaii. In the video shown to millions, humpback whales seemed to show curiosity about the humans, apparently even bumping the sides of the boat. Afterwards I thought, why in the heck were they featuring this on the news? These kinds of up-close encounters are common on my Alaska trips. Each year the Maui whales come north to Alaskan coastal waters to feed. They are here by the hundreds. By law our boat isn't supposed to get closer than 100 yards, but fortunately the whales haven't read the rule books. They swim under the boat, and babies in particular are genuinely curious. Sometimes the huge mammals are so close that the steam from their spouts reaches us. A few summers ago we had one 45-foot-giant breach literally ten feet away. Our large lenses couldn't focus closely enough. Fortunately, we've never had a whale bump the boat; their sonar seems to be quite effective in this regard.On land, we also have up-close encounters with bears. At the beautifully designed viewing platform and blind at Anan Creek (south of Wrangell in Southeast Alaska), we are close enough to touch them, although the rangers stationed here frown on such an activity, as even a stray claw from a well-intentioned bruin could cause major damage to human flesh. However, being in such close proximity allows intimate access to the bears' daily lives, whether it's a cub bawling for its mama, or an old boar showing its salmon fishing prowess.
With or without camera, experiencing these spectacles of nature is something that stays with you forever. After 13 years of such experiences, I have come to expect them. But newsworthy? No. But neither is a baby's first smile or the first daffodil of spring something to broadcast to millions. Bears, whales, babies or flowers: all part of the miraculous fabric of life.
