Watching Whales from a Kayak

On a trip to Alaska with my best friend, Tamar, we went sea kayaking in a quiet bay near Juneau. Our guide promised nothing. "The whales do what they want," she said.

About an hour in, a humpback whale surfaced about a hundred yards from us. Then another. Then a mother and a calf. We stopped paddling and sat completely still, rocking on the water, listening to them breathe. Every time one surfaced, there was a huge whoosh of air and a rainbow in the spray.

Then the calf breached. It leaped completely out of the water and came crashing down, sending a wave rolling toward us. Tamar screamed. I screamed. Our guide, who'd seen thousands of whales, screamed.

We paddled back to shore three hours later, our arms aching, our faces sunburned, laughing like we'd just gotten away with something. Some memories stay bright forever. This is one.