The crew of the National Geographic Sea Lion cast off lines from Bartlett Cove shortly after 10 p.m., and we sailed out of Glacier Bay. The decks became quiet as people turned in for the night. An hour later, the expedition leader’s voice came quietly over the PA to announce that the sky was lit up with Northern Lights. Doors opened and people spilled out of cabins and made their way to the bow. Bright white light streaked and curtained across the sky. Those yawning in the morning said it was well worth it.
In the morning we awakened near the mouth of Peril Strait. During breakfast the ship anchored in Hanus Bay and the crew lowered the expedition landing craft and kayaks from the lido deck. This morning was devoted to exploring this small cove on the northeast corner of Baranof Island. Inflatable boats landed along the mucky shoreline—it was close to low tide and the intertidal zone was vast! Hikers took to a well-maintained gravel trail that wended along a salmon stream, past rippling rocky falls. The longest walks made it up to scenic Lake Eva, home to a smattering of old growth Sitka spruce trees. The temperature was perfect, the forest air infused with musty earth and the perfume of spruce and hemlock. Signs of bear—particularly scat—were all along the trail, however the creatures themselves remained out of sight. The wind picked up and provided fun choppy waves for kayakers and inflatable boat cruising in the latter half of the morning.
We spent the afternoon cruising Chatham Strait, and picked up the director of the Alaska Whale Foundation to give a talk about the foundation’s research on humpback whales. Afterwards we gathered in the lounge for Recap and had yet another delicious meal. Thanks galley!
