Today we visited the northeast corner of Baranof Island to walk along the Lake Eva trail. This trail winds through dense stands of giant trees that conform to our very fantasy of "forest primeval". The trail follows the river that drains Lake Eva, which is a migratory route for chum, pink, coho and sockeye salmon. Eagles are abundant here, and so are brown bears.

Along the trail, we admired the work of various animal woodworkers. Squirrels roam the treetops in late summer, clipping cones for winter storage in bulky middens of cone debris. Sapsucker babies piped noisily from the couple of nests we discovered. Most nestlings are quiet, but woodpeckers are so well protected in their holes that they beg for food incessantly. We saw the uniform working of their parents. As their name suggests, sapsuckers lap the drippings that well from the ovoid holes they chip in regular rows. But without doubt the most accomplished animal carpenter is the beaver. In addition to a twiggy lakeside lodge, we saw much evidence of beaver dining, including the gnawed hemlock top in the photo.

Beavers are found throughout the islands of Southeast Alaska, which is no surprise for such a fine swimmer. Still, beavers seem to dislike salt water, and are practically never seen swimming in it. Beavers are the most intelligent of rodents- hardly a grand superlative, but it may please the beavers.

Wildlife is abundant in Southeast Alaska, and finding their trails, diggings and constructions is always interesting and entertaining.