Sitkoh Bay, Hanus Bay & Peril Strait
The brilliant vermillion plumage of a red-breasted sapsucker working some downed trees near the cascading creek by the Lake Eva trail was a spotlight of joy in a day of delightful sightings. Early this morning a beautiful adult coastal brown bear was spotted grazing on newly sprouted grasses along the shore of Sitkoh Bay. We watched him for a long time, moving across the rocky shore with no concern as to our presence. Further along, at the end of the bay, three more of these amazing animals were walking through the meadow. A female brown bear and her two large cubs, (probably in their third year and final few months with her) were also dining on grasses. These bears left their snowy winter dens high in the alpine a few short weeks ago. In spring, the first available food resources are grasses and intertidal animals like barnacles, mussels, and crustaceans gleaned from turning over rocks.
New species of wildflowers are opening daily. This morning’s hike revealed a bank of buttercups interspersed with dwarf dogwood, shooting stars and Alaska violets. The kayakers braved the swift water of the spring runoff flowing down from the snowfields above Lake Eva, and enjoyed at least a hundred tree swallows snatching insects from the air above the inner estuary.
Cruising through Peril Strait’s narrowing reaches and glorious scenery brought us into Sergius Narrows during a flood tide. The National Geographic Sea Lion made 4.6 knots at full throttle against the strong currents and the red buoys were half-way sucked under the water! A hundred feet away, the forest passed by ever so slowly, while a sea otter played in an offshore eddy.
Our last evening on board is spent at a quiet anchorage dining on fresh king salmon, watching for wildlife and enjoying the stories and laughter of our new friends and shipmates.
The brilliant vermillion plumage of a red-breasted sapsucker working some downed trees near the cascading creek by the Lake Eva trail was a spotlight of joy in a day of delightful sightings. Early this morning a beautiful adult coastal brown bear was spotted grazing on newly sprouted grasses along the shore of Sitkoh Bay. We watched him for a long time, moving across the rocky shore with no concern as to our presence. Further along, at the end of the bay, three more of these amazing animals were walking through the meadow. A female brown bear and her two large cubs, (probably in their third year and final few months with her) were also dining on grasses. These bears left their snowy winter dens high in the alpine a few short weeks ago. In spring, the first available food resources are grasses and intertidal animals like barnacles, mussels, and crustaceans gleaned from turning over rocks.
New species of wildflowers are opening daily. This morning’s hike revealed a bank of buttercups interspersed with dwarf dogwood, shooting stars and Alaska violets. The kayakers braved the swift water of the spring runoff flowing down from the snowfields above Lake Eva, and enjoyed at least a hundred tree swallows snatching insects from the air above the inner estuary.
Cruising through Peril Strait’s narrowing reaches and glorious scenery brought us into Sergius Narrows during a flood tide. The National Geographic Sea Lion made 4.6 knots at full throttle against the strong currents and the red buoys were half-way sucked under the water! A hundred feet away, the forest passed by ever so slowly, while a sea otter played in an offshore eddy.
Our last evening on board is spent at a quiet anchorage dining on fresh king salmon, watching for wildlife and enjoying the stories and laughter of our new friends and shipmates.
