National Geographic Sea Lion anchored in the early morning hours at our destination of Cascade Creek. After breakfast, kayakers and hikers were brought ashore for interchangeable activities. Our entire morning was spent either hiking, kayaking, or paddle boarding.
Cascade Creek has been a well-known hiking destination since the 1930s, due to its proximity to Petersburg, Alaska. The area was scouted by prospectors in the 1930s, and the trails have been maintained by the Forest Service ever since. Cascade Creek is part of the 17 million acres that make up the Tongass National Temperate Rainforest.
Once on shore, we broke up into several levels of hiking groups and began exploring this unique forest environment. Enormous Sitka spruce and western hemlock dominated the land. Sitka alder and many shrubs filled the undergrowth. The waterfall of Cascade Creek provided a wonderful environment for many lichens, mosses, and tiny forest floor flowers, all decorated in mist from the waterfall.
Our gorgeous weather continued and brought us to the end of the day. We were surrounded by humpback whales, doing what whales do during Alaskan summers, fattening up on the rich cold waters of the north Pacific. For several minutes at a time, everyone would stop, be as quiet as possible, and listen to whale blows as the final light of yet another gorgeous sunny day slipped into a lovely sunset sky.
