Chatham Straight and Lake Eva
Blue sky and sunshine greeted us during our stretch class this morning, as the National Geographic Sea Lion was gently sailing down the Chatham Straight. The scenery was delightful as the tall snowy peaks towered above the deep green forests.
While we cruised the passage with the hope to encounter wild marine life, some guests came to the spa to get a massage, and others listened to a presentation about black bears and brown bears.
Later on in the morning, Birgit Buhleier from National Geographic gave a presentation about the “critter cam” program. Cameras have been deployed on many animals in order to study their behavior in the wild. Birgit showed footage of a mother humpback whale and her young one nursing, and also of the social interaction of a brown bear.
Just before lunch we were treated to a humpback whale breaching and flopping her pectoral fin as if she was waving hello to all of us.
After lunch, we anchored in Hanus Bay and prepared for our excursions to Lake Eva on Baranof Island. A group of us went on a fast hike along the beautiful new trail. The sun shining through the canopy of giant Sitka spruce and western hemlocks was amazing.
We encountered a red squirrel who didn't mind us watching him eating the seeds of a spruce cone. As we got to the lake a float plane was taking off on the other side of the shore.
As we were hiking back we saw the kayakers paddling up the lagoon to admire the small waterfall upstream.
Back at the beach many hardy and brave ones took advantage of the summery day to enjoy a polar dive in the cold water of Southeast Alaska. What a wonderful way to top off an amazing week spent on board of the National Geographic Sea Lion.
Back on board of the ship to celebrate our farewell dinner with Captain David Sinclair, we are now on our way to Sitka, our final destination for the week.
