Chatham Strait & Lake Eva
With typical Alaska weather accompanying us all day, we cruised the waters of Chatham Strait early in the morning. Eventually we anchored off one of the so many beautiful sandy beaches of Baranof Island, named in honor of Russia’s first governor of the Russian America Company. Behind this beach we found a path going into the woods, and eventually leading to some beautiful spots along a strong river, where fishermen were trying for cutthroat, though trout were also to be found in the river.
Hikes were of different lengths, and the longer ones led to a small forest of giant Sitka spruce. The shorter ones had more interpretation, where numerous plants showed us lovely flowers already. Yet in a few weeks, all the flowers will already be out. Interestingly, we encountered a parasitic fungus, about six inches in length, growing upon different individuals of blueberry bushes.
Immediately after these hikes, we launched a series of kayaks, and many of us enjoyed some good minutes of quiet and solitude, as well as good exercise. Lunch was on board, and by then we were already moving south along Chatham Strait , en route to our destination of Petersburg.
During this time we had the opportunity of being witnesses to a small group of Dall’s porpoise bow-riding our ship. These lovely “jet” porpoises, among the fastest of the world, can weigh up to 400 pounds. Very few other ocean mammals can even approach the speed at which they swim, and of course, the orca is among them, if not probably the only one.
Later on, we were graced by the presence of a quite elusive humpback whale, which was seen near the ship!
