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Published: June 24th 2018
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6/18/19 Khutze Inlet
About half way between Klemtu & Hartley Bay is one of the most spectacular waterways called Khutze Inlet. Heading east off Graham Reach and just inside the inlet is a nice safe anchorage behind a small spit near the entry. We anchored there a few years ago on one of our passes and while we enjoyed it, and I seem to remember even catching crab there, we didn’t know what we were missing until taking the time to go all the way in to the end of the bay.
This year we dropped anchor at the base of a multi-fingered waterfall, it’s silver tinsel-like paths decorating the deep valley and steep upper mountainsides like an inverted Christmas tree. At the base, water rushes to the bay, making our inside voices washed away by it constant slushy sound. The bay extends deep into the mountains but our chart shows land at low tide. Of course it’s actually mud and reed grasses we discover later when taking the dingy out to reconnoiter our new surroundings.
There are two boats in our bay; one close enough to the falls to almost
touch the alluvium fan from the glacial carved mountains, the other a 34’ sailboat from Portland. We learn from the first boat, the Great Bear II, not to go ashore near the waterfall because there is a mama grizzly bear and 3 new cubs in the area. Steering clear of the main falls, we find another stream and dunk heads in the fresh, cold runoff since it’s a very hot day.
We meet the owners of the Great Bear II who have heard from their Watchmen friends that mama & cubs are around the corner. They invite us aboard their runabout to sneak slowly around the bend, and wait. It’s not very long before the brushes ruffle and branches snap as the 3 little bears poke their noses out then big mama leads them onto the grassy beach. These are first yearlings, and they are more than a little cautious at first but seem to recognize this boat, and at least two of the humans, so relax and enjoy a mid morning snack slowly working their way toward the exposed rocks from low tide. I would have thought the sound of our cameras would scare them off
with our furious clicking that must sound like a boat filled with cicadas.
Later we join these two generous charter boaters for drinks and share news about Inside Passage projects. They are determined to protect these bears and have an agreement with the local bands to keep eyes open and warn insensitive tourists away. It isn’t long before the captain takes off to inform some of the more ugly Americanos not to bring dogs ashore – anywhere – in the bottom of this inlet. They have known this mama bear through three set of cubs, they stay with mama for three years, so there must be a lot of bears in this area. In the evening, we see another grizzly running through the high grasses, just where that boater was stopped from letting his cute little puppy dog out.
We now know that there are cameras everywhere as the base of all these Inlets. The local bands also check regularly, many times each day. We probably gave one boat a show when we took outdoor showers and only blocked one side with our privacy screen thinking that their boat was empty while they surveyed
up one of the two streams. We also found nothing in either crab or prawn pots so now know that Khutze Inlet is for the bears!
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