Hanus Bay and Peril Straight
It was a warm morning out on deck, as the National Geographic Sea Lion made its way towards Hanus Bay, a sheltered inlet on the northern part of Baranof Island at the junction of Peril Straight and Chatham Straight. Lake Eva drains into Hanus Bay and offers a good place to view birds. The trail is lined with understory mosses, ferns, and shrubs. Stretch class was held on the aft bridge deck, followed by a berry smoothie and breakfast buffet. After breakfast we went ashore at Hanus Bay for hiking, kayaking and Zodiac cruising. It was low tide when we landed, so we made our way over thousands of exposed mussels, barnacles and patches of fucus seaweed to the tree line and trailhead. The trail runs parallel to a river that flows out from Lake Eva, located farther inland on Baranof Island. There is a low waterfall that empties out into a protected inlet, and we were on the lookout for bears, as it is a popular feeding spot for the animals when the salmon begin their journey upstream. We only saw the occasional sign of the bears, although fresh scat and tracks reminded us of their presence.
The salmon are beginning to gather at the mouths of rivers to start their journey upstream. We saw chum, or dog, salmon congregate in the lower shallows of the Lake Eva River, waiting for the right conditions to start traveling upstream. Loons were also spotted and several guests even saw an eagle with white wings!
After lunch, we spent the afternoon navigating through Peril Straight, a waterway that divides Chichagof and Baranof Islands. Although narrow and dotted with islands, Peril Straight is not named for its navigational dangers. Instead, it is named for the large number of Aleut sea otter hunters who died there 200 years ago from Perilitic Shellfish Poisoning (PSP), a result of eating contaminated mussels.
In the evening, we set anchor at Halleck Island, eleven miles northwest of Sitka, our destination for tomorrow morning.
