The Gorbatch rookery - rocks, rain and rubber boots..... what a combo.
I asked plenty of questions prior to this trip and felt fairly prepared to head to AK but the one thing I wish they had told me was to go to the gym... A LOT! This is quite a work out. We start our day at 9AM and finish when we get to the end of the rookery. For the next two days those rookeries are Reef and Tolstoi. Some days will be shorter than others but everyday is both energetically exhausting and exhilarating. Everyone helps each other out though, so if you haven't sheared enough pups and someone else has finished, they will shear one for you. This is a team effort with a common goal: Find out what is happening to the Northern fur seal population.
One of the highlights of the day is lunchtime. No, not because I get to sit down. It is because we eat right out on the rookery. We usually move up to the haul out area and find a place where the sub-adult males are not snoozing. However, it is close enough to them to observe their behavior and take some pictures. Here I am with a few young males relaxing in the background. I may be tired but pauses in the day like this one give me a chance to reflect on why I am here and how amazing these animals are, and that is enough to push through the afternoon.
~Patty
Those are so adorable. You must take 50 pictures of them. Or better yet 500 as fur seals are the spiffiest things.
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