Lake Eva & Peril Strait
One of the rarest sights in Southeast Alaska was plentiful for the fortunate guests of the Sea Lion this morning: clear, warm sunlight. As the cabin doors opened on this final full day of our voyage, bright light flooded in. To be fair, we’ve been extremely lucky this week with our weather – and fantastically, the best was saved for last.
After breakfast, one last turn in the Zodiacs brought us to the sun-warmed shores of Baranof Island. Our destination at this location was Lake Eva, reached via hike through dense old-growth rainforest or kayak through tidal pools. We landed on the narrow beach, naturalists pointing out pristine (evidently recent) bald eagle and grizzly bear tracks on the sand. As we mucked through our final hike, we moved quietly; despite our longing for grizzly sightings we encountered many other natives instead: slugs along the trail, bald eagles soaring over the water, and a red sapsucker flitting over fallen logs were among the animals spotted.
Following yet another delectable lunch, naturalist David Stephens was set to give a presentation on the cultural offerings of the native people of Southeast Alaska. Suddenly, an announcement was made: mother and calf humpbacks were seen lunge feeding; the younger of the two even breached! The beautifully warm and clear conditions were perfect to view this pair’s behavior, including several fluke displays. After ample entertainment they left us, waving their flukes, allowing us to return to the lounge below. David finally had his chance to teach us about the Tlingits, the native people of this remote yet frequent stop on the trade routes between Asia and the rest of America. Nonetheless, the isolation allowed them to maintain one of the most preserved cultures of all the native peoples of North America.
The night was concluded with Captain Mark Graves’ farewell dinner. Good-bye toasts and warm thanks abounded as we delighted in Alaskan salmon dinner and decadent chocolate mousse dessert. With lingering dusk as our backdrop, we said goodnight, knowing that tomorrow’s early morning parting would inevitably come.
One of the rarest sights in Southeast Alaska was plentiful for the fortunate guests of the Sea Lion this morning: clear, warm sunlight. As the cabin doors opened on this final full day of our voyage, bright light flooded in. To be fair, we’ve been extremely lucky this week with our weather – and fantastically, the best was saved for last.
After breakfast, one last turn in the Zodiacs brought us to the sun-warmed shores of Baranof Island. Our destination at this location was Lake Eva, reached via hike through dense old-growth rainforest or kayak through tidal pools. We landed on the narrow beach, naturalists pointing out pristine (evidently recent) bald eagle and grizzly bear tracks on the sand. As we mucked through our final hike, we moved quietly; despite our longing for grizzly sightings we encountered many other natives instead: slugs along the trail, bald eagles soaring over the water, and a red sapsucker flitting over fallen logs were among the animals spotted.
Following yet another delectable lunch, naturalist David Stephens was set to give a presentation on the cultural offerings of the native people of Southeast Alaska. Suddenly, an announcement was made: mother and calf humpbacks were seen lunge feeding; the younger of the two even breached! The beautifully warm and clear conditions were perfect to view this pair’s behavior, including several fluke displays. After ample entertainment they left us, waving their flukes, allowing us to return to the lounge below. David finally had his chance to teach us about the Tlingits, the native people of this remote yet frequent stop on the trade routes between Asia and the rest of America. Nonetheless, the isolation allowed them to maintain one of the most preserved cultures of all the native peoples of North America.
The night was concluded with Captain Mark Graves’ farewell dinner. Good-bye toasts and warm thanks abounded as we delighted in Alaskan salmon dinner and decadent chocolate mousse dessert. With lingering dusk as our backdrop, we said goodnight, knowing that tomorrow’s early morning parting would inevitably come.
