Sitkoh Bay and Lake Eva
Our first night on board included a sunset of which only one’s eyes could tell the story. The sky was afire, releasing brilliant colors that led us into the night and on to our first day of exploring beautiful Southeast Alaska. After cruising the early morning through Sitkoh Bay (Chichagof Island) in search of wildlife, the National Geographic Sea Bird arrived in the wilderness of Baranof Island. Early afternoon found the ship in placid Hanus Bay and the Lake Eva trailhead.
The water was calm and clouds dominated the sky with intermittent patches of soft blues peeking through. Wildlife was visible onshore for the duration of the morning, with our first sighting coming early at 7:00 a.m. A brown bear with her cub! Shortly after that, another lone wanderer was spotted. This brown beauty was seen foraging on sedges and at one point lifted his head and showed us his prized mouthful. Soon after, we watched the “brownie” strutting his wide-gaited body on top of a fallen tree. This brought excitement and laughter as we watched him from the bow of the National Geographic Sea Bird. Needless to say, if you had a hunger for the sighting of an Alaskan brown bear, then our voyage throughout the morning surely satisfied the appetite.
After lunch we anchored in Hanus Bay and prepared for our trip to Lake Eva. Our afternoon excursions of hiking and kayaking were delayed when we spotted more brown bears—a sow and her two cubs—near the beach where we were to land our Zodiacs. We delayed our excursions ashore to allow the sow and her cubs to retreat into the forest on their own and not by our interference. Once ashore, we were excited and ready to start. We offered three levels of hiking intensity ranging from aerobic to leisurely to accommodate the variety of interests of our guests.
As each group entered the forest they were encompassed under a canopy of Sitka spruce and western hemlocks that stood like skyscrapers in their own city. On the ground lay an array of groundcover and flora that one would find in a shade-tolerant forest. Dwarf dogwood, queen’s cup, false lily-of-the-valley and the intertwined pattern of the fern-leaved goldthread had us bent over in search of that brilliant close-up picture.
A newly constructed trail provided easy footing which allowed our eyes to gaze off and really absorb the peaceful environment. As our hike came to an end it was time to don our life jackets and see the forest’s beauty from the outside in, from a kayak. Paddling along the shore and around Hanus Bay allowed us to catch a glimpse of Southeast Alaska at its best.
On our Zodiac ride back to the National Geographic Sea Bird, we reflected on our day’s sights and excitement, from the nine Alaskan brown bears to the towering city skyline of the spruce and hemlock forest. What a day in beautiful Southeast Alaska!
