Lake Eva, Hanus Bay
We awoke to a misty sky and a light drizzle on the last morning of July. The seas were calm, however, and we were treated to a few solitary humpback whales feeding in the middle of Chatham Strait. We crossed the waterway mid-morning, and arrived at Hanus Bay.
Preparations were made to go ashore and our hikers gathered on the beach, welcomed ashore by swarms of no-see-ums. We sought refuge in the woods along the beautiful Lake Eva trail. We saw giant Sitka spruce trees looming overhead, and a few small hemlocks that had been gnawed by beavers. A young, fishing brown bear was surprised to find us using his forest path for our own purposes. We were all treated to a good look (and a few heart palpitations) before he bounded off into the shrubs. Red paintbrush, green false hellebore, and fern-leaf gold thread were just a few of the floral treasures that lined the path. This day, of all days, we were thankful for the investment that each of us made in a pair of mud-proof boots.
The afternoon brought with it an opportunity to go on a shorter hike through the rainforest or to kayak the shoreline of this idyllic bay. Although we all showed signs of fatigue, our expedition to Lake Eva seemed a world apart from the hustle and bustle of life outside Southeast Alaska.
We awoke to a misty sky and a light drizzle on the last morning of July. The seas were calm, however, and we were treated to a few solitary humpback whales feeding in the middle of Chatham Strait. We crossed the waterway mid-morning, and arrived at Hanus Bay.
Preparations were made to go ashore and our hikers gathered on the beach, welcomed ashore by swarms of no-see-ums. We sought refuge in the woods along the beautiful Lake Eva trail. We saw giant Sitka spruce trees looming overhead, and a few small hemlocks that had been gnawed by beavers. A young, fishing brown bear was surprised to find us using his forest path for our own purposes. We were all treated to a good look (and a few heart palpitations) before he bounded off into the shrubs. Red paintbrush, green false hellebore, and fern-leaf gold thread were just a few of the floral treasures that lined the path. This day, of all days, we were thankful for the investment that each of us made in a pair of mud-proof boots.
The afternoon brought with it an opportunity to go on a shorter hike through the rainforest or to kayak the shoreline of this idyllic bay. Although we all showed signs of fatigue, our expedition to Lake Eva seemed a world apart from the hustle and bustle of life outside Southeast Alaska.
