Pavlof Harbor and Chatham Strait
Chichagof Island is the largest member of the Alexander Archipelago, the beautiful world of forested islands that we have spent the past week exploring. Its convoluted coastline hides many sheltered bays and coves, places that have been known and used for centuries, first by the Tlingit people, then the Russian fur traders who were followed by salmon fisheries and canneries and most recently by modern explorers like ourselves.
Today, on a brilliant sunny morning, the National Geographic Sea Bird dropped her anchor in Pavlof Harbor, one of these quiet spots along the east coast of the great island. As soon as breakfast was done we were out again in the Zodiacs, landing on a wide beach where seastars, clams and mussels competed for space with fields of bright yellow-brown kelp. From the landing we all began our chosen activities for the morning, slipping out into the bay on kayaks, cruising the glassy waters in the Zodiacs or hiking around the corner of the beach to a beautiful cascade at the foot of a river that descends from a lovely lake and the mountains beyond, just visible in the distance. This river was an important source of fresh water for previous residents of the region and we saw clear evidence of the large salmon cannery that once stood there, packaging the wealth of Alaskan seas for shipment to hungry communities to the south.
At the end of the morning a few brave or, some said, foolhardy members of our expedition made one last trip on a Zodiac, just one hundred feet or so from the ship, where they flung themselves, with spectacular abandon, into the chilly waters! This “Polar Plunge” was enjoyed by all, including those who chose to stay warm and dry and recorded the event from the rails of the ship.
With this important business concluded the National Geographic Sea Bird made her way back out to the wide waters of Chatham Strait. We spent the rest of the afternoon here, soaking up the sun on deck, confirming friendships that had grown through our week together and reluctantly packing for the journey home. In the evening we gathered once more for a farewell cocktail party, with wonderful entertainment provided by a slideshow created from the photographs of our adventures all during the week. Dinner followed, crowned by a dark chocolate mousse cake that all agreed was another of the highlights of the voyage.
Still, we had one more event on our day’s schedule. After dinner, as the sun set and the long twilight waned, we made our way toward Sitka through Peril Strait, the remarkable passage that separates Chichagof Island from Baranof Island to the south. We watched, amazed, as the captain carefully guided our floating home through the twists and turns of the narrow channel, which seemed, again and again, as if it must come to a dead end around the next bend. That these two great islands are separated by such a tiny thread of water is yet another delightful and intriguing aspect of the beautiful coastal wilderness where we had spent our week. Will the division of the islands persist? Or will the rising landmasses of Southeast Alaska slowly bring the islands into contact and close this lovely and historic passage? Perhaps we will have to return to learn the answer.
