Whale Wallow

A pod of beluga keep cool while waiting for the tide to rise near Anchorage (Photo: AP)

On Saturday, while Sebastian and I were hiking at nearby Eklutna Lake, about 20 beluga whales found themselves trapped on the mudflats at the top of Knik Arm during an unusually low tide. Evidently the pod stuck together, dug a hole and waited a few hours for the water to rise. The Cook Inlet beluga have been a controversial topic in the past. In January, our former governor sued the Federal Government in an attempt to have their Endangered Species status rescinded claiming that the listing threatened vital economic interests in the Cook Inlet region. I wonder whether she'll have a chapter about whales in her new book.