Our final day aboard the Sea Bird was full of fun and surprises. Throughout the morning we cruised the waters of Hood Bay, scanning the shoreline for wildlife and drinking in the dramatic scenery. Hood Bay is one of the large inlets on the west side of Admiralty Island, long known to the Native Tlingit people as “The Fortress of the Bears.” This island has such abundant resources that it can support the most densely concentrated population of brown bears in the world – nearly one bear per square mile! Keen eyes on deck spotted three brown bears in a beach meadow, and we nosed the ship in for a closer look. One of the bears left the group immediately, while the other two continued to graze on the beach vegetation. Bald eagles swooped by, Sitka black-tailed deer tip-toed across the beach gravel and Swainson’s thrushes serenaded us from deep in the forest, creating a perfect Southeast Alaskan scene.
After lunch, we anchored at Hanus Bay for an afternoon ashore. Nearly half of us opted for the long, fast hike, including a “brisk” swim in chilly Lake Eva. After shlurping through mud and hoisting our big boots over spruce roots and through skunk cabbage thickets, we arrived at the lake and stripped to our swimsuits. Although the water was a chilly 48 degrees, we waded out to a partially submerged log and leapt in. Shouts and breathless stuttering let everyone on shore know that this was a bona fide “Alaskan” experience. After a restorative hot drink, some of us went in for round two, and a few true “polar bears” stayed in for a third round. We toweled off, donned our clothes and boots and tromped back down the trail, only to have the skies open up and soak us again with a sudden rain shower. Dripping and smiling, we arrived back at the Sea Bird – just in time for hot showers and farewell dinner. Clouds parted and the sun shone for our late evening transit of Sergius Narrows, and we all agreed that we’d shared a wonderful expedition through the wilds of Southeast Alaska.
