Hanus Bay

Primeval -- the word was used often today to describe the forest that we walked through this afternoon. Huge, old Sitka spruce and western hemlock towered above salmonberry bushes in bloom. The thick carpet of moss on the higher ground gave way to black mud in the low spots. Watching salmon fry in the stream, a dipper diving into the torrent of the falls, a red squirrel perched on a limb, munching spruce cones all reminded us of the abundance of life in this ancient forest. After walking with our eyes glued to the ground in front of us (in order to negotiate the tree roots and mud), we'd stop, look around and notice the sunlight filtering through the leaves or a red-breasted sapsucker hammering away. Then there was the "yo bear" chorus and back up the trail.