Did you find yourself in awe this morning that you REALLY have made it to Alaska? It is no longer a dream, it’s reality. You’ve got your boots on the ground, your rain pants and raincoat in hand and grab a lifejacket, we’re heading for shore!
Lake Eva on Baranof Island has a trail that meanders through the temperate rain forest. “This must be where hobbits live.” “I’m expecting to see an ewok fly by at any moment.” These were quotes from the afternoon. The forest has a magical quality that springs to mind fantastical imagery. This is an enchanted place. There are mosses called cat-tail, lilies called queen’s cup, and slightly humorous, a lichen called fairy barf.
Our introduction to the rain forest habitat included kayaking its periphery where salmon are staging to migrate upstream and spawn. These little fin and scale packets of fertilizer return to the forest each year, ending a life cycle that may be two, three, or upwards of five years long, depending on the species of salmon. The fish migrate, spawn out, and are recycled into essential nutrients for the inhabitants of the land, air, and stream.
The forest was not only our classroom but our playground and snack basket. We wore lichen mustaches, and grazed through blueberries, rosy-twisted stalk, and red-huckleberries. Some tasted puckery, some were sweet, but all were part of the unique experience of exploring the temperate rain forest of Southeast Alaska in the summer. An experience so unreal at times, it seems to be dream. Congratulations, you really are here.
