Our overcast morning slowly turns to sunshine by the end of the day. Throughout the warming day, we have opportunities to hike, bike, tour the harbor by Zodiac, or bog walk. The author of this report spends the morning hiking up Raven’s Roost Trail, which is nicely maintained with beautiful benches made by the community-minded local high school. Our local guide delights us with stories and points out a small patch of lichen from the fairy barf group; it is a favorite among many. Flowers of the early summer are in full bloom: shooting stars, bunchberry, foam flowers, queen’s cups, and sticky false asphodels, which are mentioned in Homer’s, Odyssey.
The afternoon holds another hike in the muskeg, but this one is across the water on Kupreanof Island. We find two types of sundews, bogbean flowers, cotton grass, and other lovelies. Guests return worn but happy and freshen themselves for cocktail hour. Some have heard the call to don their Ray Troll t-shirts to participate in a pun-filled fashion show. (Ray’s artwork almost always contains a humorous pun.) There are at least two dozen models strutting their tees in the lounge. We finish the day with a delicious meal of locally caught crab.
