Daily Report from the Journalism Committee:
A Trip of a Lifetime
Nick Bolger
6/30/08
When we woke up the air was cold and it was looking to be a great day in Seward. After a quick breakfast of assorted cereal and hot chocolate, we all loaded the vans and headed to the docks to get on the boat.
Once we got on the boat we headed out to Thumb Cove. Once we reached Thumb Cove we had our first two classes of the day. The group split into four groups depending on the color of there booklets. For the Musk Ox and Hawk vans the first class was about water testing. We tested the temperature, density, turbidity, and salinity. In order to get the sample we sent a little tube with two doors one on each end. The doors got held open by a little trigger mechanism and once the tube was at the desired depth you sent down a messenger weight that snapped the doors shut and took the water sample. After about half an hour period at the water testing class we moved on to our next class.
The next class was ecosystems for the yellow group. We had a special guest to teach this class and his name was Ranger Dan from Kenai Fjords National Park. During the class we were split into groups and got a problem that we needed to come up with solutions. Our problem was Harbor Seals depleting, then we shared our ideas with the ranger. After the second class of the day was done we headed back tour backpacks to eat our lunches as we headed to Humpy Cove.
On our way to Humpy Cove we saw a few pods of Killer whales and also a few Humpback whales. We saw a couple whales breech and there were a lot of good photo opportunities. Every time a whale was spotted cameras were clicking and waiting again for the whale to come up. Once we got to Humpy Cove we went to our next class. For my group the next class was plankton. After a little of background information on plankton we went down on the deck and put a windsock like instrument into the water and waited for five minutes. After we took the windsock out of the water we got some of the water out of it and looked at it through microscopes. We saw a lot of different kind of plankton and even some of the kind they put in toothpaste. Once we finished looking through the microscopes that class was done. Then we went to the last class of the day, which was mammals and sea birds.
During this class we got to learn about each animal in the area. There were a lot of different types of birds and our teacher had stuffed birds of each kind. She also had little model whales. After learning about each kind of animal the class ended. We had gone through all of the classes and it was time to head back to land. After we got back everyone couldn’t believe that we saw all of those animals.
We were already downtown so we had three hours downtown. When I got back to my van the battery had died so we had to walk to the next part of town. Some people went and took showers, called home, shopped for souviners, or they went and got some ice cream.
We headed back not long after for a dinner of meatball subs and fresh salmon. Once we were finished the dishes we went out to the beach and wrote in our journals for about half an hour. When we all got back to the campground we finished off our day with hug time and hit the hay because tomorrow we are headed to Homer.
Whales, Sea Otters, and More
Amanda Labun
June 30, 2008
Today we all awoke to the voices of our junior leaders and drivers at, 7:30 a. m. Today was the day that we would be on the Kenai Fjords boat tour, Fjords land tour. We would be taking classes to learn about different things in the ocean. Our tour would take place out in Resurrection Bay, where we could possibly see Whales, Sea Otters, Puffins, and more.
“Everybody put layers on,” stated most of the drivers. It was a nice, but at times windy day, so we needed to become prepared for whatever were to lie ahead of us. After we all layered up we hopped in the vans and set off to downtown Seward. After a few minutes of walking around, we learned a bit about the boat, and what we had gotten ourselves into for the next five hours.
As soon as we boarded the boat we spotted a Sea Otter. It was lying in the sun, relaxing. Did you know that for every square inch of the Sea Otters body there are a million hairs? Well neither did the participants of the AGLP trip, but it’s true. Only a short time after the spotting of the Sea Otter we had our first class. We had to attend four classes by the end of the day, Plankton, Sea Mammals and Sea Birds, Ecosystem, and Water Analogy. At the Plankton class you looked under a microscope at all the little Plankton that were floating around. In Sea Mammals and Sea Birds you learned about all the different mammals and birds that got food from or lived in the sea. In the Ecosystem class you learned about what was going on with the animals, and how hard it is to determine what to do to fix the problems. In the Water Analogy class you learned the salinity, turbidity, density, and the temperature of the water.
After two classes we all ate lunch, sandwiches…again. When we were done eating we were allowed to go outside of the cabin to look at the water. As soon as people sat down again, a Killer Whale was spotted. One, no two, no three, three Killer Whales were swimming about the sea. Two of them were together, and the third was off doing its own thing, jumping, flipping its tail, or just swimming. They were so beautiful, some people like Roni Ranville had never seen a Killer Whale on the trip, her fourth year here she finally saw some. Only a little while later we headed back to class.
After we finished all of our classes we could roam about the boat, ISHTAR and his van decided to go invade the upper deck, Roni Ranville drove the boat, and others just enjoyed the view. A couple Humpback Whales were spotted, many pictures were taken. We returned to the dock around 2:30 p. m. we had 3 hours to shop around downtown. The only rule was that we had to have a buddy. At 6:30 p. m. we had to meet back at the campgrounds to eat dinner. Tonight’s dinner was Salmon, and Meatball Subs, along with three different choices of potato salad.
Following dinner we grabbed our journals, and a pen or pencil, to journal at the pavilion. Sitting on the rocks at shore, or up at the picnic tables, it was a time for thinking. We had to write our Alaska is…paper. It could range from a poem, to a statement. It didn’t matter as long as you express your feelings of Alaska. We all gathered back at the campground, and had hug time, the headed off to bed.
Today was a day for new experiences, to try new things, and to see new and amazing animals. From Sea Otters to Killer Whales, from water testing to looking at Plankton, everybody experienced something different today. “The scenery was breathtaking,” stated David DeMott. “I’ve been on the trip four years and every year I learn something new,” said Roni Ranville.
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