This morning the Sea Lion paid a visit to Elfin Cove, a small village that is literally on the edge of the earth. Hanging tenaciously onto the rocks above the high tide line, Elfin Cove is situated at the intersection of Cross Sound and South Inian Pass, a short boat ride away from the Pacific Ocean. There are no roads here, only a boardwalk that circumnavigates the small cove. Everything and everybody arrives by boat or by sea plane.
After visiting Elfin Cove, one can't help but ponder on the uniqueness of life here in Alaska. With only 17 year round residents, most of them employed by the commercial fishing industry, this small village embodies the myths of the north; men and women fighting nature for every inch of living space and every salmon or halibut brought onboard their vessel. However, Elfin Cove, like so many towns in Alaska, is a community in transition. The sport fishing lodge contrasts strongly against the weather-beaten fish processing barge docked in the inner harbor. As the residents of Elfin Cove become more dependent on outside dollars, will the way of life that originally attracted them to this harsh outpost disappear with the outgoing tide?
