Pavlof Harbor & Chatham Strait
The very loud and unmistakable “cheg! cheg! cheg!” of heavy chain clanging on steel was the final wake-up call for those still asleep at 7:15 a.m. We were dropping anchor. This meant we would be here for a while and new adventures awaited us. We had left Bartlett Cove at 11:00 p.m. last night, leaving Glacier Bay in our wake, moving south through Icy Strait and on into Chatham Strait in the wee hours of the morning. Pavlof Harbor was our destination and it was here that we settled for the morning. Flat, calm water reflected the deep, dark greens of the temperate rainforest that surrounded the bay. A few white puffs of cottony clouds dotted the clear blue sky. This was going to be a glorious day!
On the beach we broke into groups of short, medium and long hikers. Kayaks were unloaded and off we went on our last exploration of Tongass National Forest. The melodic zoo-zoo-zee call of the Townsend’s warbler, a recent migrant from Southern Mexico, greeted us as we made our way along a lovely stream that tumbled along the exposed intertidal zone. In a few more weeks these waters will be swelled with salmon, struggling to make their way to their spawning grounds, just above the beautiful ten-foot waterfall that marked our turnaround point. Bears will patrol the banks, stuffing themselves on this seasonal feast. The longer hikers made their way to the lake and back before we all loaded up in kayaks and Zodiacs to continue our exploration of the harbor. With the tide at a – 0.4, a lot of sea life normally too far below the water to see created a pallet of color for our viewing pleasure.
After lunch back at the ship, we made our way south down Chatham Strait, stopping many times for exciting views of humpback whales feeding all around the ship. Cheers rose as tail flukes seemed to wave their goodbyes just before diving to the depths. Dall’s porpoise sped toward us, rooster tailing water in their wake, before disappearing under the ship. What a wonderful way to send us off toward narrow Peril Strait and our ride into our last port-of-call, Sitka.
