Kelp Bay and Lake Eva
Bright sunlight on a glassy sea made polarized sunglasses a welcomed, if not required item for early morning risers as the Sea Lion made her way up Chatham Strait towards Kelp Bay on Baranof Island. We paused briefly and edged the ship to the base of beautiful Kasnyku waterfall, which falls over two hundred feet into the sea. A low tide afforded a close-up view of invertebrate life clinging to the rock face. Sea anemones, sea stars and assorted mollusks all competed for space and food along the intertidal shoreline.
A cruise up Kelp Bay’s south arm afforded sunlit views of three Sitka black-tailed deer that walked surprisingly close to the water on the rocky shore. A sharp-eyed guest spotted a mountain goat high above the fjord. As we left Kelp Bay to re-enter Chatham Strait, a brown (grizzly) bear sow and her two cubs were seen in the grass along the shore. Sensing our presence the mother reared up on her hind legs to stare at the ship. A collective and rather loud expression of awe alerted her to our presence and she promptly led her cubs into the forest and out of view.
As the Sea Lion sailed for Hanus Bay, guests were treated to a presentation by Lee Moll who compared the rainforest ecology of Southeast Alaska to other regions within the state. After lunch, we launched the Zodiacs and brought the kayaks to the beach. Our afternoon was full, with hikes in a primordial, old-growth forest along an active salmon spawning stream. An energetic group of hikers made their way to Lake Eva for a swim in the chilly water. Most chose to remain dry and enjoy the hike along the river. Others followed the salmon upstream in kayaks and watched the fish below as they prepared for one last push, up and over a small waterfall. This stream has now become their spawning grounds where they will lay and fertilize eggs to ensure a new generation of Alaskan salmon. Their job complete, they will die in the stream of their birth where their bodies will be fed on by animals both large and small and their remains recycled into the forest.
Bright sunlight on a glassy sea made polarized sunglasses a welcomed, if not required item for early morning risers as the Sea Lion made her way up Chatham Strait towards Kelp Bay on Baranof Island. We paused briefly and edged the ship to the base of beautiful Kasnyku waterfall, which falls over two hundred feet into the sea. A low tide afforded a close-up view of invertebrate life clinging to the rock face. Sea anemones, sea stars and assorted mollusks all competed for space and food along the intertidal shoreline.
A cruise up Kelp Bay’s south arm afforded sunlit views of three Sitka black-tailed deer that walked surprisingly close to the water on the rocky shore. A sharp-eyed guest spotted a mountain goat high above the fjord. As we left Kelp Bay to re-enter Chatham Strait, a brown (grizzly) bear sow and her two cubs were seen in the grass along the shore. Sensing our presence the mother reared up on her hind legs to stare at the ship. A collective and rather loud expression of awe alerted her to our presence and she promptly led her cubs into the forest and out of view.
As the Sea Lion sailed for Hanus Bay, guests were treated to a presentation by Lee Moll who compared the rainforest ecology of Southeast Alaska to other regions within the state. After lunch, we launched the Zodiacs and brought the kayaks to the beach. Our afternoon was full, with hikes in a primordial, old-growth forest along an active salmon spawning stream. An energetic group of hikers made their way to Lake Eva for a swim in the chilly water. Most chose to remain dry and enjoy the hike along the river. Others followed the salmon upstream in kayaks and watched the fish below as they prepared for one last push, up and over a small waterfall. This stream has now become their spawning grounds where they will lay and fertilize eggs to ensure a new generation of Alaskan salmon. Their job complete, they will die in the stream of their birth where their bodies will be fed on by animals both large and small and their remains recycled into the forest.
