Pavlof Harbor, Chatham Strait & Peril Strait
The wake-up call this morning found the National Geographic Sea Bird on approach to our anchorage in Pavlof Harbor, which is tucked into the south shore of Freshwater Bay. After a hearty breakfast we boarded Zodiacs and headed for shore to participate in a variety of activities.
Long hikers took off first as their goal was to bushwhack along the lakeshore as far as they could get in 3 hours. Others of us took to kayaks for some time on the water, exploring the bay and the tidal river mouth that leads inland to Pavlof Lake. While afloat, we saw eagles flying overhead, screaming their haunting calls or perched in trees lining the bay, their white heads like giant golf balls awaiting Paul Bunyan’s tee time.
Most of us spent time during the morning with our naturalists on short or medium length walks along the river to the beautiful lake back-dropped by glorious, snow covered peaks. Along the way, we passed the remains of old cannery works that had been left behind when this drainage was fished out and the cannery was moved to another location where they fished out that area and moved the cannery once again. It was just possible for some of us to sense the ghosts of the cannery workers, the cannery and the fish that had inhabited this place and hear their admonitions to take care of our resources and be gentle on this land.
Beyond the cannery reminders, we scrambled up some rocks along the side of the waterfall to the lake. There was an abandoned beaver lodge at the water’s edge and some fresh beaver tracks but no beaver to be seen today.
The meadows that lined the lake were lush with new growth and clusters of beautiful bluish-purple violets and chocolate lilies. Chocolate lilies are also know as rice root lilies and were a favorite food of the aboriginal peoples of S.E. Alaska, tempting some of us to take a try. Later in the morning, a boot-clad and hearty group explored the intertidal, looking at a host of fascinating creatures exposed by the exceptionally low tide.
The peace and calm of this bay and its stunning beauty left us also peaceful and calm as we spent the afternoon cruising south through Chatham Strait and westward through the circuitous and lovely Peril Strait. There was time on deck to consider how lucky we all have been to be in S.E. Alaska and to realize, perhaps, how it has changed us and made us more aware of the importance of these wild places in our world.
What an extraordinary week we have had together and what wonderful stories we will carry home with us to share with our people.
The wake-up call this morning found the National Geographic Sea Bird on approach to our anchorage in Pavlof Harbor, which is tucked into the south shore of Freshwater Bay. After a hearty breakfast we boarded Zodiacs and headed for shore to participate in a variety of activities.
Long hikers took off first as their goal was to bushwhack along the lakeshore as far as they could get in 3 hours. Others of us took to kayaks for some time on the water, exploring the bay and the tidal river mouth that leads inland to Pavlof Lake. While afloat, we saw eagles flying overhead, screaming their haunting calls or perched in trees lining the bay, their white heads like giant golf balls awaiting Paul Bunyan’s tee time.
Most of us spent time during the morning with our naturalists on short or medium length walks along the river to the beautiful lake back-dropped by glorious, snow covered peaks. Along the way, we passed the remains of old cannery works that had been left behind when this drainage was fished out and the cannery was moved to another location where they fished out that area and moved the cannery once again. It was just possible for some of us to sense the ghosts of the cannery workers, the cannery and the fish that had inhabited this place and hear their admonitions to take care of our resources and be gentle on this land.
Beyond the cannery reminders, we scrambled up some rocks along the side of the waterfall to the lake. There was an abandoned beaver lodge at the water’s edge and some fresh beaver tracks but no beaver to be seen today.
The meadows that lined the lake were lush with new growth and clusters of beautiful bluish-purple violets and chocolate lilies. Chocolate lilies are also know as rice root lilies and were a favorite food of the aboriginal peoples of S.E. Alaska, tempting some of us to take a try. Later in the morning, a boot-clad and hearty group explored the intertidal, looking at a host of fascinating creatures exposed by the exceptionally low tide.
The peace and calm of this bay and its stunning beauty left us also peaceful and calm as we spent the afternoon cruising south through Chatham Strait and westward through the circuitous and lovely Peril Strait. There was time on deck to consider how lucky we all have been to be in S.E. Alaska and to realize, perhaps, how it has changed us and made us more aware of the importance of these wild places in our world.
What an extraordinary week we have had together and what wonderful stories we will carry home with us to share with our people.
