Red Bluff Bay and Lake Eva, Baranof Island
We started our day with a spectacular entrance into the narrow Red Bluff Bay on Baranof Island; surrounded by shreds of fog, very steep terrain, and gorgeous waterfalls, the National Geographic Sea Bird seemed to float not in the water but among a mythical landscape long forgotten by time. The dramatic topography continued beneath the surface, as we sailed over 250 feet of water but not even 50 feet away from shore! We also got the chance to see among the fog the famous rock formation that gave this place its name; Scott Babcock, our expert geologist on board, explained how the Red Bluff is one of the very few known areas of exposed earth’s mantle and how its high content of chromium, iron, and nickel made it unsuitable for most plants, a fact that we were able to observe from the ship. But just a short distance away from the bluff the forest continued its luxuriant growth and eventually made room for a grassy plain at the end of the bay, where we were lucky to found a beautiful brown bear!
During the rest of the morning we made our way towards Lake Eva, a gorgeous location on Hanus Bay, arriving shortly after lunch. Many of us were still enjoying dessert when a second brown bear sighting was made, this time a sow with two cubs! We eventually landed on a different beach in order to engage in several activities, including hiking, kayaking, Zodiac cruising, and, for me and Second Mate Chris Rhodes, Scuba diving. We all had a great time full of wonderful moments and encounters, like the bear sow with a cub that some hikers saw, or the magnificent Puget Sound King Crab that Chris and I met at a depth of 85 ft. Or like the few humpback whales that crossed our path during the late evening and the gorgeous full moon that marked the end of another marvelous day in Southeast Alaska.
