On the rocks

When the tide goes out in Kachemak Bay, you can walk into a world defined by water. By lifting rocks and parting algae, or even just stopping to stare for a while, you begin to see how many animals surround you as you visit the intertidal zone. This is one of the richest marine environments in the world.   

There are worlds within worlds on the beaches of China Poot Bay. Each curve of the shoreline, each change in the size of the rocks, and the wave action each shore receives help define which animals live in a given area. Every tide pool and every rock create shelter for a certain community of creatures.

I know a biologist who measures the amount of life on a beach by picking up a fist sized rock and counting the number of species on that rock. Here, just in front of the lodge, he found a single rock on which he identified over 80 animals.  As you look at the pictures here, try to see how many creatures you can find. Both of these rocks were about a foot wide. Right away, you can see the chitons and the brittle stars. Can you find the urchin, the tube worms, and all of the mollusks? How many more intertidal animals do you think you might find on the adjoining rocks?

Pace

Twice in the last week, I’ve found myself floating near sleeping otters. I mistook one of them for a log until he rolled over to take a glance at the canoe I was paddling. After he checked to make sure I was nothing of concern, he went back to sleep. 

Grewingk glacier sits at the back of a lake in Kachemak Bay State Park. If you get the chance to see it from above, it looks like a river cascading through a valley. And really, that’s what it is; a very cold river that’s taking its time to reach its destination. Does the water get impatient as it slowly slides down the mountain? I think it’s enjoying the ride.

Some days I’d like to live like an otter with the patience of a glacier. The summer rush is here. It’s a season of nonstop movement. No time to sit, write, or catch up on chores. It’s the short window in which life in Alaska prepares for the long winter. Thankfully, there are a few exceptions on land and in water to remind us that not all things are based on short seasons.