Baranof Island, Kelp Bay and Lake Eva
Silver skies and the pitter-patter of a light rain set the mood for our morning. A slow sail into the south arm of Kelp Bay gave us a chance to look at a variety of different birds: common loons paddled placidly, common and red-breasted mergansers flushed in frenzy, the feathers on their heads a perpetual bed-head tousled hairdo.
At Kasnyku Falls we grasped the photographic opportunity of a gamboling waterfall, leaping, splashing and dancing its way downhill. More birds attracted our attention; harlequin ducks with their white dabbles of paint played in the swift moving water – their preferred habitat. Stately bald eagles perched stoically atop the spruce trees, their dark silhouettes stood bold against the gray skies.
While transiting to our afternoon anchorage, we found our first humpback whales of the season. Newly arrived from a winter spent on the birthing and breeding grounds in Hawaii, these whales are ready to feed and replenish the weight lost since they left Alaska last fall.
After lunch we had a full afternoon of explorations on Baranof Island at the Lake Eva trail. We began at water level, exploring by Zodiac or kayak. The kayakers found themselves surrounded by forest giants while they peacefully glided into a sheltered cover. Due to an extra high tide they were able to paddle up to the bottom of a beautiful cascade, which less than a few hours later was surrounded by mud flats instead of water.
Leaving kayaks on shore and donning our rubber boots, our next foray was going into the Alaskan temperate rainforest. The forest was festooned with draping mosses and ruffled lichens. Under a canopy of Sitka spruce and Western hemlocks we met the inhabitants that thrive with the abundant rainfall. Blueberry bushes dangled their ivory urn -shaped flowers from nearly naked branches. The delicate spider-like flowers of the diminutive fern-leaf goldthread had us on our knees in attempts to capture their image in pixels.
On our Zodiac ride back to the National Geographic Sea Bird, we spied a rainbow in the distance, an ephemeral gem highlighted with snowcapped mountains and an expanding blue sky backdrop. The day started gray with a light rain and evolved into cerulean skies and an amazing showcase of the diversity of climate and habitats of Southeast Alaska.
