November 9 - "As You Can See, We Are Now Going Through a Sea of Humpback Whales"
That's what the scientist leading my whalewatch boat trip today said at one point, which gives you an idea of how many whales there were around us. It's Whalefest in Sitka, which is basically a three-day symposium of talks on whale (and other marine mammal) related research, with cool side events like whalewatch boat trips led by scientists and a (loosely) whale-themed community talent show. Sitka is great. I've attended some of the lectures, and went on today's whalewatch, which ended up being spectacular. Sunny, crystal-clear skies, beautiful snowcapped mountains, cool whale facts from the three scientists on board (did you know that bowhead whales probably live to 200 years old, and can break through 3 feet of ice using their heads?), and lots of humpback whale sightings. We even saw a whale breach! No photos of that, I'm afraid – In a way I'm glad, because it was so beautiful to see and if I'd been behind my camera shooting away I'd