In the Scheme of Things: clueless

For several snowy Montana months we looked forward to a winter vacation in Hawaii. A particular thrill for me going there is seeing humpback whales that migrate to the warm waters from Alaska. So, I was especially excited one of our days as we made our way to an eco-adventure to see the whales, with two marine naturalist guides.

I’ve been on a few whale watching trips, so it came as no surprise that in peak whale season our boat was at capacity; as sightings increased so did jockeying for better seeing positions; and not everyone followed protocol to allow children to move up front.

What did, however, surprise me came an hour into the trip. By then, we’d been treated to breaches, tail slapping, and fluke dives, even glimpsing an aggressive fighting pod. The whales had shown themselves in various places so everyone aboard had good sightings.

When it happened, I was standing on the top deck with one hand on a chair back to steady myself against the rocking of the boat, when someone called out a sighting. Immediately the man behind me (continue reading →)