Pavlof & Basket Bay
The morning was spent visiting Pavlof harbor where we went ashore in hopes of finding the salmon stream being visited by a bear. The morning turned out very quiet in that respect, though salmon were there, waiting their opportunity to swim upstream with the incoming tide. Before breakfast bears had been spotted one beach over, but apparently decided to wander in another direction, as bears are wont to do.
Kayakers had a wonderfully peaceful paddle in the bay. Soft rain came and went, clear water gave up sights of starfish, moon jellies, lion’s mane jellies and other undersea wonders.
Back on board, lunch was cheerfully devoured, which opened an opportunity for David Stephens, staff member, to give a presentation on Northwest Native art and Culture. This opened everyone’s eyes and mind to the human perspective of this region, unique to this region of North America.
Basket Bay lies south of Freshwater Bay, on the eastern shore of Chichagof, along Chatham Strait. This afternoon the tides were perfect, the timing was right, and the stars were aligned for a Zodiac cruise inside this little gem of an inlet. Marbleized limestone provided the base on which Sitka spruce and hemlock grew, with Sitka alder bordering the edge. Licorice fern was eaten, bald eagles flew overhead while salmon swam under the tannin-tinged waters. Freshwater waterfalls laid down a layer of fresh over salt in the hidden cracks and crevasses. One deep grotto had innumerable pink salmon preparing to end their lives, their flesh already starting to decompose, but will not die before spawning, the one and only goal in their 18-month lives.
The morning was spent visiting Pavlof harbor where we went ashore in hopes of finding the salmon stream being visited by a bear. The morning turned out very quiet in that respect, though salmon were there, waiting their opportunity to swim upstream with the incoming tide. Before breakfast bears had been spotted one beach over, but apparently decided to wander in another direction, as bears are wont to do.
Kayakers had a wonderfully peaceful paddle in the bay. Soft rain came and went, clear water gave up sights of starfish, moon jellies, lion’s mane jellies and other undersea wonders.
Back on board, lunch was cheerfully devoured, which opened an opportunity for David Stephens, staff member, to give a presentation on Northwest Native art and Culture. This opened everyone’s eyes and mind to the human perspective of this region, unique to this region of North America.
Basket Bay lies south of Freshwater Bay, on the eastern shore of Chichagof, along Chatham Strait. This afternoon the tides were perfect, the timing was right, and the stars were aligned for a Zodiac cruise inside this little gem of an inlet. Marbleized limestone provided the base on which Sitka spruce and hemlock grew, with Sitka alder bordering the edge. Licorice fern was eaten, bald eagles flew overhead while salmon swam under the tannin-tinged waters. Freshwater waterfalls laid down a layer of fresh over salt in the hidden cracks and crevasses. One deep grotto had innumerable pink salmon preparing to end their lives, their flesh already starting to decompose, but will not die before spawning, the one and only goal in their 18-month lives.
