The Elk of Cataloochee

The elk in the Great Smoky National Park were reintroduced nearly ten years ago after over-hunting, disease, etc. wiped out the herd in the 1800's.  A small herd of elk were brought over from Kentucky (Land-between-the-Lakes) nearly ten years ago, and they have flourished in these beautiful mountain ranges of Tennessee and North Carolina.  Cataloochee is a lush, green valley hidden deep within the Great Smoky Mountains National Park on the North Carolina side between Waynesville and Maggie Valley.  I don't know all the details about the elk herd, and more details about the park can be found here:  GSMNP-Cataloochee.

Cataloochee Valley has gained in popularity with visitors to the park, so you must pack your patience for managing the frequent bumper-to-bumper traffic, the "one in every crowd" who thinks it's okay to break the rules, and the city-folk who haven't learned how to be quiet to fully enjoy the display of wildlife.  The elk are wild.  There are no fences to keep the elk in the park, and certainly no barriers to keep the elk safe from tourists.

I've been visiting Cataloochee for the past four years. In the Springtime it's fun to see the new calves amongst all the wildflowers in the valley. In September/October the bull elk begin their bugling for the cows, mating, and sparring between bulls.  There is a small campground at the valley entrance which provides more convenience for late night and early morning visits to the valley.  The bugling between bulls can be heard echoing off the mountain sides all the way to the campground. In the still of the morning, a solo bugle will send shivers down my spine as I lay half awake trying to talk myself into getting an early morning photo. The bugle usually motivates me to venture out before sunrise to see these beautiful creatures.

My latest visit to the valley would prove to be the best yet. In my previous visits, I've only witnessed bulls chasing other bulls away.  This time however, I finally was able to witness the full bull on bull sparring.  It's an experience I won't soon forget.

Arriving in the valley in the early evening proved to be popular as we quickly encountered stopped traffic and tons of fellow onlookers.  I crept along in my vehicle until I reached a parking space about 1 mile in.  I figured we could get farther by walking than sitting in a vehicle.  My friend Ally and I headed deeper into the valley when about 100 yards away were two elk.  As we looked closer, it appeared that one bull elk (with a large rack) was teaching a smaller elk how to spar.  The encounter was non-violent and included several face nudges, licking, and chin rubs by the big bull.  Such a sweet exchange between what we deemed father and son (or maybe grandfather/grandson.)

Before long, there were several more male elk making their way into the open field.  The sun was in its golden hour casting a golden light onto the bull's rack and also outlined their bodies with the light.  Once the sun finally disappeared behind the tree line the cool evening air gave a new energy.  The elk stopped grazing and started noticing the other males standing near them.  Soon, several sets of elk began the sniffing process followed by the lowering of the heads.       It was time to spar! 

The cow (female) looking onward as the two bulls challenge one another to a duel.

Two wild elk bulls spar while two wild turkeys meander through the edge of the tree line.

Head to Head

"Boys Night Out"

Four elk sparring at Cataloochee Valley

This visit was by far my most favorite!  Despite the passing vehicles, the crowds gathering in around me, chit-chatting with the photographer next to me, I became so drawn into watching these magical creatures in nature that time felt like it was standing still.  I was lost in another world even if only for a little while.  And when it was finished, I looked around me and became amazed at what I saw.  There were people as far as the eye could see, all wrapped around that big open field, together - as one - to watch nature.  Truly spectacular! 

One touch of nature makes the whole world kin. ~ WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE

 

 

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Alaska - Juneau - Day 4

Tuesday, September 4, 2012:  Today's port was Juneau.  It's the capitol of Alaska, but has no roads in or out. People have to arrive by plane, boat, or birth canal. <smile>  The weather confirmed again that I was definitely in Alaska.  It was raining, foggy, and noticeably cooler.  Good thing I packed my full rain gear and thermals!  First up for the day was an early morning whale watching excursion in Auke Bay.  I'll not lie, I was quite skeptical about standing on a boat in the rain/fog searching for an animal that might or might not make an appearance.  The excursion company had a money-back guarantee that we would see whales - so off we went. 

Within 20 minutes, the first thing I noticed was a dab of blue sky!  The views were spectacular from the water.

 

Suddenly, the double-decker catamaran's engines shut down and we were instructed to look towards one o'clock (assuming the boat was a clock - which meant 1:00 pm was forward and right.)  Sure enough, I saw a rounded shape crest the water.  It was a Humpback Whale.  We watched it surface a few times (which takes about 5 minutes in between), then it finally flipped it's tail.  The catamaran's crew seemed pleased, so we moved on (I guess they got to keep their guarantee money today.)  My skepticism turned into curiosity really fast.  I decided that this large creature may be worthy of a photograph after all.

 

Soon after moving further into Auke Bay, we saw another Humpback Whale. This time I snapped a photo of the tail flip.  This photo is zoomed/enlarged quite a bit, because the Humpback's didn't get too close to the boat.

 



Our ship received word from another boat that they had located a pod of Orcas (Killer Whales.)  A pod is a collection of three or more whales swimming and feeding together.  We arrived to see the Orcas crest many times.  I was amazed at how close they were to the other boat.  What an amazing experience for the passengers on that boat.  Here's the scene I captured:

I didn't count how many whales we saw, but it was an awesome experience!  I'm a believer now.  Sometimes, it takes having a moment in nature where it's just me and the animal. I get to watch them as they go about their daily grind.  It's easy to become connected to the animal and mesmerized by the experience.  Wildlife is magical!



 







In addition to whales, we also were taken to an island full of seals.  They too, were unaffected by our presence.  They made weird honking noises and seemed to quarrel amongst themselves for the most part.  I'm not sure how they managed to 'waddle' up to the top of the rocks, but they did!  Here's what I saw:



Next on my agenda in Juneau was a glacier viewing excursion.  The Norwegian Jewel was scheduled to traverse the Inside Passage through Tracy Arm Fjord, but the closeness of the ship to the glacier depended upon the icebergs.  The catamaran boat was much smaller than the ship; therefore, it was able to get much closer to the glaciers.  So, we set out about 20 minutes prior to our large cruise ship's departure.  They explained to us that we would re-board our ship at Tracy Arm Fjord...which I wasn't too sure how would happen, but was game for the adventure.

The weather had finally begun to cooperate.  Although it was cooler, the rain had stopped! Yay!  I met some very nice people on this excursion and we all really enjoyed the glaciers.

We went to Sawyer Glacier first.  Even on the approach, we started seeing floating icebergs.  The Fjord was a deep, deep river of blue/green glacier water which met steep mountains with rock faced surfaces mixed with the varying tones of moss.  The mountains easily towered 2,000 feet above us. What a view!  We navigated many icebergs and what felt like narrow passageways until finally, we saw the glacier.  It was a color of turquoise and Carolina blue mixed together.  The glacier itself was basically a large vertical wall of blue ice with a hint of snow covering.  I'm using this particular photo because there was another vessel (the same size as ours) close to the glacier. Maybe it helps put the glacier's size into perspective...maybe.



 

The catamaran driver took us to a large waterfall in the Fjord.  I was surprised at how close he got us!

 



We made our way to the South Glacier, and this was the location where we were to meet our cruise ship.  The entrance to the South Glacier had a lot more icebergs than the previous.  Even our little catamaran boat had to navigate slowly.  We did hit one, and the eerie sound it made while the ice was scraping down the side of the boat left us very weary <think Titanic>  Here's a shot of the cruise ship coming through the Fjord, it gives me goosebumps remembering back:

 

Once our cruise ship drew closer, I began worrying about how we would go from the little catamaran to the large cruise ship.  As we approached the ship, I looked up to discover that just about every passenger was outside and leaned over the railings of every deck watching us!  It was like seeing long-lost family again.  Everyone was waving, and the energy we shared revolved around the wonderment of how in the hell we were going to switch boats in a narrow passage full of icebergs while we were moving!  It was an amazing experience, and our catamaran driver sure did earn his wages.  He pulled up along side the cruise ship, and we saw a door open in the lowest level of the ship.  A chain link gate came down which secured onto the catamaran.  We then began unloading from the catamaran into the galley of the ship.  Sadly, I didn't get any photos of this because I had packed away my gear (in fear of us having to make a jump for it I suppose.)  Hindsight is always 20/20! 

 

What a truly amazing day I had been blessed with.  A hot shower, dinner, and conversation about "being on the little boat" made this day a definite highlight on my trip.





icebergs near the South Glacier

ice actively calving off from the Sawyer Glacier
 

 

 





Alaska - Ketchikan - Days 1, 2, and 3

A kind invitation to join my Uncle Durward and Aunt Bonnie in Seattle while they visited my cousin, Tonia (their daughter), turned into a two-week trip for me since I decided to take an Alaskan Cruise while in the area.  Additional posts will come from my time in Seattle and also the Olympic Peninsula.  I jotted notes along the way and will share them here.

Friday, August 31, 2012:  arrived in Seattle safe and sound. The hotel only had a smoking room available.  It's amazing how used to a non-smoking environment I've become (thanks Asheville!) that I don't even think to request non-smoking anything when making reservations.

Saturday, September 1, 2012:  shuttle to pier, checked-in and went out on deck to enjoy the fresh BBQ cookout and take some photos leaving Seattle.  The breathtaking Mt. Rainer made an appearance as you can see here:

 

Sunday, September 2, 2012:   This was a day at sea.  Very grateful that I had the anti-seasick patch today.  It was a very windy, rainy day which created 6-8' waves.  Feeling somewhat medicated, I used this opportunity to rest.  I didn't realize how tired I was. The ship's nautical information was broadcast on the in-room TV and I was able to keep up with the weather, location of the ship, and more importantly - how much further to our first port.

 

Monday, September 3, 2012:  The ship arrived in Ketchikan, Alaska to rain and fog.  Typical "Alaskan" weather I suspected.  I was up in time for the sunrise, only that I couldn't see it.

 

Ketchikan was the 'Bear Expedition and Rainforest experience." The guide was not keen on me dragging all the camera equipment through the rainforest, but I wasn't leaving my tripod behind.  She also didn't appreciate my wanting to photograph every little twig in the forest.  In fact, we had a special talk about the importance of me sticking with the group.  All it took was me seeing a bear in an open environment to get the message (loud and clear!)

 

We were on a swinging suspension bridge roughly 20 feet above the very active bears.  Here's an area where we viewed and photographed the bears:

 

Here are a few shots I managed to get even though I was shooting in the rain/fog, was shaking from nerves, and had 10 other people on the swaying bridge with me <insert disclaimer for unclear photographs.>  These are my favorites - shot with Nikon D5100 70mm-300mm:

 

 

 

 

 

All said and done we saw about 12 bears total (several small cubs, and plenty of adults.)  They seemed content to focus on the salmon in the river instead of the group of people above.  Have you heard the saying that you don't have to be the fastest runner, you just can't be the slowest to avoid getting eaten by a bear?  Well, I was staking out my competition on this excursion for sure!

 

The next stop was at a 'petting zoo' for lack of a better term.  We were introduced to reindeer (a.k.a. miniature caribou.)  Even typing the word reindeer feels make-believe.  Santa had reindeer in the Christmas books, and we all (or most of us) know about that.  So, in reality I guess no one ever clued me in that reindeer are real creatures.  I thought *until this trip* that reindeer were made up in the books.  Boy was I surprised.

 

 

 

Next was a walk by the salmon hatchery.  Did you know that salmon 'born' at the hatchery still swim back upstream to the hatchery to spawn?  The workers create a make-shift spawning course for the fish.  Once they arrive, the hatchery collects the eggs, and begins the process of raising them until release.  The spawning course begins with a drainage pipe from the river (it's the same river that the bears were in.)  If the salmon don't land in the pipe they hit the wall and bounce back into the river to try again.  Here are two photos: one shows a successful jump, and the second shows a salmon hitting the wall.

 

This one made it:  

 

This one didn't make it (ouch!):

 



Headed back toward the ship.  Had a few minutes to shop in the little town before departing.  Of course I snapped photos as I went along.  Creek Street was really pretty, but due to the rain/fog, my photos weren't so impressive. 

 

Saw a seal munching on a salmon near the ship.  Life is pretty tretcherous for salmon around here.

 

Made a few acquaintenances throughout the day.  Adjusting well to no internet service.  The salad bar on the ship is really yummy.  Sometimes the hot food reminds me of hospital food.  The ship is clean, and everyone gets hosed with sanitizer before entering the ship and restaurants.  They squirt and say, "washy, washy, happy, happy."  Passengers laughed, but we were all glad for the germ control.  Thanks Norweigen!