Early March, 7 Months Ago...

In early March, in the Pacific Northwest. The Wild Kratts Tortuga HQ is flying along the Canadian West Coastline. It was about 200 feet in the air following alongside a group of shadows traveling north in the water.

And then, a large gray Marine Mammal rose to the surface. And then spouted a heart shaped mist cloud from it's blowhole.

It was a Gray Whale.

Gray Whales are one of the largest animals on the planet. These creatures can get up to 40 feet long, and weigh as much as 30 tons. The same as 6 African Elephants, and they easily get their name for their gray skin color. But the most interesting feature is the amount of Barnacles they have. A single Gray can have as many as 44 pounds of Barnacles on them alone, mainly on the head. That's more amount than other Whales have.

In the Wild Kratts latest mission, they're following alongside the world champions of the longest migration of any Mammal. And possibly any Mammal that has ever existed.

Gray Whales make a 12,000 mile round trip each year, and been doing it for countless generations.

Inside, the main room of the Tortuga, the Wild Kratts were keeping track of their position. They've entered Canadian waters just a few days ago, and are making steady progress.

"Day 55. And the Gray Whale Migration continues as they now entered Canadian waters. At this point, we are halfway through this trip. And in another 2 months the Grays will arrive in their destination of Barrow, Alaska where they'll spend the summer."

"How's the status, Koki?" Aviva asked Koki.

Koki's screen then brought up their position.

"We're about 6 miles north from British Columbia." Koki Looking over. "And we should reach Alaskan waters in 4 or 5 weeks." It was still, another 2,500 miles to go of reaching Point, Barrow.

Then Aviva walks over to her station. "Hey guys, how's it going down there?"

As it turns out, Chris and Martin are actually mini size and are riding in the Remora Rocket Sub attached on the belly of one of the females of the pod they're following.

"Everything's going great down here." Chris called from his Creaturepod. "All smooth sailing."

"Yeah, we're making a good 75 miles a day." Said Martin. "And traveling at a nice pace of 5 miles per hour."

Then Jimmy appears on the screen. "I still can't believe they make this trip every year."

"Yeah. Gray Whales been doing this route for tens of thousands of years." Martin said.

"But don't they ever get hungry during the trip?" Aviva asked.

"Don't worry, whales can go for months between a meal." Chris assured. "They last that long by their fat reserves."

"Okay, so. Let's review." Aviva pulling the migration route. "When we started, it was in a lagoon in Baja California where the females give birth to their calves. And they stay there throughout the winter."

"Yeah, the lagoon also protects the calves from predators." Koki added.

"And then, as spring approaches." Aviva explained. "The males are the first to leave while mothers and calves stay a while longer."

"And some males would've mated with the females with no calves."

"Over a week later, they enter U.S waters and swim up north following the coast. And towards San Francisco.

"And not too far away from that, is Monterey Bay. Just 6 miles south of it, and they swim over a large undersea canyon a mile deep."

"And sadly, sometimes calves get picked it by hunting Killer Whales." Aviva added. "We were lucky to see that one calf may it when 2 Humpback Whales appeared and drove them off."

"Yeah. Scientist recently discovered that Humpbacks are known to drive Orcas off sometimes." Koki said.

"And now we've entered Canadian waters just a few days ago." Chris said.

"Grays have amazing endurance." Said Martin. "And that's why they're the world champion of endurance distance of Mammals."

"Okay, so that would be us traveling..." Aviva thought.

"Us traveling up from the southern tip of South America to the coast of South Africa. In a single trip alone. Martin said. "No planes, cars, trains, boats, nothing. Only on foot."

"Imagine the total distance a Gray can travel in a lifetime." Said Koki.

"Yeah, Gray Whales can live for 50 to 70 years." Chris said.

Day 130

Finally, afters months of following it is now May. And they finally arrived in the waters of the Arctic in Barrow, Alaska.

Chris and Martin were in their wetsuits as they swam into a shallow bay half a mile offshore. And soon came across a feeding Gray on the seabed.

"What's he doing?" Aviva soon joined them.

"This is actually how Grays feed." Chris gesturing to the Gray. "Gray Whales tilt sideways on a sandbar, and opening their mouths to suck in sand. And with it, any small crustaceans and others things they eat. And filter out the sand through their baleen."

"Grays can also feed on krill." Martin said. "But they don't have the same feature that Humpbacks, Minkes, Seis, Fins, or Blue Whales have with that throat pouch thing the expends into a net."

"Well, that layer of fat they sure keeps them warm in these waters." Aviva said. "It chilly up here."

"Yeah, most large whales spend the summer here in the Arctic." Chris said.

And soon, they swam up and back to the Tortuga.

Under the midnight sun of the Arctic summer, the group were going over the entire trip.

"Okay, we started here in San Ignacio Lagoon." Chris looking at the map on the big screen, and a Gray Whale picture appeared. "And we travel up north along the coast towards California, and towards Monterey Bay."

"That's where we saw the Orcas and those Humpbacks." Koki said.

And then an Orca and Humpback Whale appeared on the screen.

"After we passed San Francisco, it was smooth sailing to Pacific Northwest." Martin said as the Gray Whale moved towards next to British Columbia.

"And after that, we traveled along to Alaska." Aviva added. "And right pass between Alaska and Russia. And then finally, arrived to Barrow Alaska." And the Gray Whale picture moves up the Canadian coastline and pass between the Bering Sea between the 2 continents of North America and Asia. And stops at the northern tip of Alaska.

"And that's where they'll spend the summer." Jimmy said. "Eating up well for the next migration."

"Yeah, they'll travel back south in late September to early October." Said Chris.

A few days later, the Tortuga flies off leaving the Arctic behind. And the Gray Whales continue to feed, getting ready for the next trek south.

But what they don't know...

Is that they'll be back, in 4 months time.

In possibly their biggest most important mission yet.

Author's Note.

This story is for the 30th Anniversary of Operation Breakthrough of October 1988.

And is based on the 2012 film Big Miracle.