The early risers were rewarded with not one, but two wildlife sightings as we watched two Sitka black-tailed deer walking along the same mudflat and beach with a brown bear. Both the bear and the deer were kind enough to move off before we went for walks along the very same beaches. Other guests took turns kayaking and paddle-boarding. The afternoon was filled with an exciting Zodiac cruise to the Inian Islands where we enjoyed sea otters, Steller sea lions, eagles, and other birds.
9/2/2021
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National Geographic Sea Bird
Etolin Wilderness - McHenry Inlet & Steamer Bay
It rained today. It rained all day. It’s Southeast Alaska—it’s supposed to rain. We’ve been spoiled by the last two days of warm sunshine but the return to a more normal temperate rainforest day didn’t hamper our excitement. Today was a day of adventure, today we went somewhere new. Somewhere our expedition leader, Sarah Friedlander, picked out on a map based on topography and what little information she could gather. We explored the Etolin wilderness today, and it did not disappoint. We spent our morning kayaking amongst thousands of moon jellies and then ventured in Zodiacs up a stream teeming with pink salmon. We then continued north to Steamer Bay where we were able to hike along the margins of an active salmon stream, and across meadows filled with evidence of bear activity and into old growth forest. The salmon carcasses were everywhere, having been transported by birds and bears away from the stream. Traffic jams of pink salmon backed up at forks in the rapids, all pushing up the current. The wildlife was as abundant as the rain. We were all soaked through by the end of the day, but it was so very worth it to see Alaska in this way: wild, pristine, untouched. Absolutely the best day of the season.
