To facilitate keeping track of mammal, bird, and plant sightings during our voyage, we keep checklists on the bulletin board in the lounge. In one morning, we had checked off the following: humpback whales, Dall’s porpoise, Stellar sea lions, and killer whales. Of course, we did more than simply check them off on paper—we enjoyed their presence, their behaviors, and the magnificent backdrop of the Tongass National Forest.
In the afternoon we continued to add to the lists as we hiked and kayaked at Pavlof Harbor. Harbor seals secretly followed kayakers on their explorations, and a belted kingfisher chattered as it flew away from the hikers. We added not only sightings to our lists, but memories to last a lifetime. Oh, and then killer whales were sighted again after dinner. No, the joy of exploration doesn’t end, and isn’t that great?
