What would it be like to lean over the side of a small boat and touch the back of the largest mammal on earth, a 45-foot whale? I contemplated this question as I filled out an application to stay at an eco-camp in Baja, Mexico, that offered tents with hot water, bed linens, shower and a sort of portable potty. With the current interest in the survival of whales, I am sharing this story.

The eco-camp is in a rugged desert landscape, where the mudflats meet the sand of San Ignacio Lagoon. The lagoon is the only place in the world where female gray whales give birth and teach their babies how to…