Waking up at anchorage outside DeGroff Bay, we prepared for a beautiful day in Southeast Alaska–a day featuring just about every type of weather we see here during the summer. Hikers hit the beach to explore the shoreline, meadows, and forest. Sitka black-tailed deer tracks crisscrossed brown bear tracks in the muddy flats. We crunched over fields of barnacles and mussels before heading above high tide into a lovely meadow of greenery. Fresh sedge greeted us, and we found a bear trail where a bear had recently strolled along grazing the tops from the sedge. A bear tree was also discovered, bearing marks of bites and claws from the local residents. The flowers were in bloom around our knees as we strolled along, and we stopped to smell chocolate lilies (don't believe name – they smell terrible). We found some young salmon fry swimming in a small creek, as well as the remains of their late parents strewn along the mossy banks. After a short bushwhack into the rain forest and a test of our trusty boots, we headed back to the landing beach. Kayakers paddled through a narrow rocky area and kelp beds while keeping an eye out for harbor seals and sea otters. Sun and rain alternated throughout the morning, and we returned to the ship for lunch a tad damp but happy.
During the afternoon, we sailed through Sergius Narrows, a very narrow waterway separating Baranof and Chichagof islands. Several Sitka black-tailed deer were wandering the shoreline, and a lone humpback whale was spotted in Peril Strait. This evening we continue through Peril Strait, dodging rain showers and admiring the snowy mountaintops visible through passing clouds.
