Three peregrine falcons are circling overhead! was the wake up call we got this morning. We were passing an island in the Cross Sound known as Flattop and were lucky enough to get a view of its raptor inhabitants. Just east of Flattop Island is George Island, where we spent the majority of our day.

Rafts of sea otters were playing in Granite Cove as we entered and dropped our anchor. We hiked into the temperate rainforest on George Island in search of a WWII gun, a 6-inch, Mark 10 gun installed by Navy Seabees to guard the Cross Sound from invasion.

The search for the cannon took us to the top of a cliff overlooking the sound with Brady Glacier in the background. What an incredible view! We also found the remnants of what must have been the living quarters for the men stationed on this remote island in southeast Alaska.

Apart from hiking we also had an opportunity to sea kayak in Granite Cove and around George Island. There was a magnificent arch that had been created by wave activity, as well as lots of starfish and sea anemones we could see from our kayaks. We also saw the fault zone where the granite on the east side of the island had been thrust into place adjacent to the younger metamorphosed sedimentary and volcanic rocks.

When we returned to the beach we enjoyed a feast of grilled salmon and chicken. A cooler full of beers and cokes also awaited to quench our thirst from the morning's activity.