From our Zodiacs, we watched as Steller sea lions and bald eagles fished in the currents. Sea otters with pups sheltered in the kelp beds. In the afternoon, the ship repositioned to Idaho Inlet, where guests explored the sheltered bay with stand-up paddleboards and kayaks. Throughout the day, we could see the snowcapped Fairweather mountains to the north, providing a taste of what will come tomorrow when we sail into Glacier Bay National Park.
Jun 21
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National Geographic Venture
Lake Eva and Saook Bay
Today we woke up in Hanus Bay to overcast skies with a bit of sunshine on the mountains of Baranof island. As our hard-working deck crew lowered the inflatable boats, we had a delicious breakfast prepared by our talented galley team. We disembarked the vessel from the fantail and headed to shore, with the Zodiac drivers taking extra care to land the boats on a very low tide. Immediately upon entering the forest, we were impressed with the size of old-growth Sitka spruce and eastern hemlock trees. Along the hike to Lake Eva, we saw many flowering plants, including watermelon berry, false Lilly of the Valley, and foam flower. Some of our guests also were lucky to observe a coastal brown bear near a stream. The “long hikers” explored the shoreline of Lake Eva and even observed our Expedition leader Shawn Lucas hugging a huge Sitka spruce tree. While we ate lunch, our skilled bridge team navigated us into protected Saook Bay, where we spent the afternoon exploring the bay via inflatable kayaks and stand-up paddle boards. Over dinner, we headed into Hanus Bay and then north into Chatham Strait. Another excellent day exploring Southeast Alaska.
