HEALTH
AND HEALING IN ALASKA
Part Two – Whales, Waterfalls, Hot Springs and Glacier
Lakes
By Barbara
Howard
What an
adventure awaited us the second day of our Alaska cruise!
After breakfast, we picked up the shrimp pots we had set the
evening before, and as the pots were hauled onboard, we marveled
at the lovely shrimp we had caught. We left our peaceful cove
and headed back out to Frederick Sound. We were off to look
for humpback whales.
The first
time I heard the hauntingly beautiful songs of the humpback
whales, was on the Judy Collins album, Whales and Nightingales,
released in 1970. The whales’ songs vibrated throughout
my heart and soul, touching me within as nothing else ever
had. And now, here I was in wild Alaska, where I actually
would see humpback whales and hear their songs, live!
Captain
Dennis Rogers called everyone on deck to watch for whales.
We sighted a group of whales “bubbling”, which
is the way humpback whales hunt as a team and feed together.
As each whale dove (in what later seemed a preset, agreed-upon
order), we counted eight flukes. After about two minutes,
Dennis told us to look for a ring of bubbles in the distance,
because that is where the whales would emerge from the water.
We squinted and watched, and then suddenly, Randy yelled,
“Over there!” As he pointed, we turned just in
time to see the whales burst straight up out of the water
all together, mouths open! Spectacular!
According
to the sonar reading, we were over a school of herring; the
whales would probably continue hunting. Dennis dropped a microphone
in the water so we could listen to the whales through the
onboard speaker. Soon, the whales regrouped, dove in, and
bubbled again; and again; and again. Each time, we heard the
leader trumpet out the call for the whales to line up and
begin the circling. The call intensified, became gradually
higher in pitch, got louder and louder and faster and faster
heading for a climax, until once again we would see the ring
of bubbles. Then the whales splashed up out of the water!
Each time we would hear what seemed like satisfied groans
from the whales before they regrouped and started again.
Dennis
explained that the whales swim around the fish in circles,
and as the lead whale calls, the others tighten up the circles
and start blowing air creating a basket of bubbles forcing
the fish to the surface. Then they gather together beneath
the catch, swim up with their mouths open, and burst out of
the water filling up with fish. If the bubbling doesn’t
work out, the lead whale calls it off and they start over.
We watched and listened for hours until it was time to move
on.
As we left the whales to their feeding frenzy, it was time
for us to feed. John Pisto, chef and restaurateur from Monterey,
California, was onboard and he presented healthy cuisine and
recipes throughout the trip. He prepared an incredibly light
and delicious healthy pasta dish with our fresh catch of shrimp.
John shared his cooking techniques for shrimp along with his
favorite wine suggestions. I offered to take still shots while
his cameraman, Patrick, filmed the meal preparation for John’s
upcoming TV show, “Cookin’ Pisto Style.”
John also writes a weekly syndicated newspaper column.
That afternoon
we docked in Baronof. We learned that we could take a short
hike up past a beautiful waterfall to a glacier lake and warm
springs. Emilie and I walked up to the lake which was like
a jewel nestled in the mountains, and decided to take a dip
in the ice-cold water. Talk about refreshing! Then we walked
down to the warm springs, a series of pools which sat right
next to the waterfall. We sank into the hot pools and I could
feel my body drinking in the minerals. As we went back and
forth from the hot pools to a cold pool alongside the roaring
falls, we were totally rejuvenated by the water, the minerals
and the negative ions.
After
two days on the boat, I was glad to have my feet on the earth
and I spent some time exploring the area before getting back
on board for a hot shower. A few group members kayaked around
the bay and up to the falls before sunset. We had worked up
an appetite and sat down to another delicious dinner, of you
guessed it, wild Alaska seafood.
That night
as I lay in my berth, I gazed out my little window at the
Big Dipper in the sparkling Alaska sky. The call of the whales
echoed in my mind. I felt an even deeper connection to wild
Alaska through the hauntingly beautiful, songs of the humpback
whales.
Next
time: Meteor Showers, Fishing and the Health Benefits
of Omega 3s
Fulfill
your most passionate healthy travel desires and educational
quests today with a meaningful, learning vacation!
Learn
more:
www.mindbodytravel.com
Or call
1-800-504-3557 to develop your own program.
Learn
more about fresh, wild Alaska salmon: www.vitalchoice.com
John Pisto: www.pisto.com
Barbara
Howard can be reached at writermarketer1@yahoo.com
Note: I received inquiries about the email
I received which was a request to bless the waters on the
planet. Last week, I saw the movie “What The Bleep Do
We Know?” www.whatthebleep.com
and I looked up the water study from the film and amazingly
found the source of the email! “We have a vision that
on this day, our Earth will be filled with beautiful golden/silver
light of Love and Thanks that is flowing from the hearts of
each and every one of us. Golden/silver light is the highest
vibration in the range of visible light, and it will heal
and cleanse all the water on earth, be it water of the ocean
or that of our own body.” - www.thank-water.net/english/
Barbara Howard can be reached at writermarketer1@yahoo.com
©
2004 Barbara Howard. All rights reserved.
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