Sitkoh Bay & Basket Bay, Southeast Alaska
Southeast Alaska’s beauty can best be appreciated over time and through various weathers. This morning, the skies were silver, the water pewter, and mist fingered the forests of Baranof and Chichagof Islands, snagging on the hills and the spruce and hemlock boughs. Despite the low, heavy skies, however, only a light mist filled the air when we set ashore in Sitkoh Bay. There, we walked an old logging road to the accompaniment of hermit, Swainson’s, and varied thrushes. Fireweed, its aqua pollen startling against pink petals, lined the trail, and the moist air called forth an astonishing number and variety of banana slugs. Although difficult at first to love, we wondered at the stalked eyes, prolific slime, and muscular creep of these slugs, which ranged in color from creamy white to dark olive with all types of spotting. Several of us, once home, will be treating our friends and relatives to close-up shots of this Alaskan wonder.
After lunch, we anchored in Basket Bay and Sue Perin talked about salmon, the mighty fish that feeds so much of what we come to see in Alaska: eagles, bears, seals, and even trees. The day, however, would not allow us to contemplate the theory of these relationships for long. Guests spotted a young brown bear feeding on the shore side vegetation. After watching it ramble the beach, we began our afternoon of kayaking and Zodiac explorations.
Launching our kayaks from the ship’s jet dock, we paddled into a marble arch and grotto carved by a river. The sharp corners of the rock were softened by algae, the dark, cool space echoed, and once through the arch we found ourselves in an oasis of green light and clear water. Then, at the other end of the bay’s head, the brown bear reemerged from the forest edge and began grazing the beach rye. Many kayakers and Zodiac cruisers, approaching quietly and slowly, were able to observe this young bear at eye level. Although it lifted its head on occasion to sniff the air, it continued browsing the beach as we watched, and we had the rare privilege of observing a wild creature go about its business even as it was aware of our presence. For a moment, we felt as if we were not observers of this place, but participants in it, which, for this week, we are.
Southeast Alaska’s beauty can best be appreciated over time and through various weathers. This morning, the skies were silver, the water pewter, and mist fingered the forests of Baranof and Chichagof Islands, snagging on the hills and the spruce and hemlock boughs. Despite the low, heavy skies, however, only a light mist filled the air when we set ashore in Sitkoh Bay. There, we walked an old logging road to the accompaniment of hermit, Swainson’s, and varied thrushes. Fireweed, its aqua pollen startling against pink petals, lined the trail, and the moist air called forth an astonishing number and variety of banana slugs. Although difficult at first to love, we wondered at the stalked eyes, prolific slime, and muscular creep of these slugs, which ranged in color from creamy white to dark olive with all types of spotting. Several of us, once home, will be treating our friends and relatives to close-up shots of this Alaskan wonder.
After lunch, we anchored in Basket Bay and Sue Perin talked about salmon, the mighty fish that feeds so much of what we come to see in Alaska: eagles, bears, seals, and even trees. The day, however, would not allow us to contemplate the theory of these relationships for long. Guests spotted a young brown bear feeding on the shore side vegetation. After watching it ramble the beach, we began our afternoon of kayaking and Zodiac explorations.
Launching our kayaks from the ship’s jet dock, we paddled into a marble arch and grotto carved by a river. The sharp corners of the rock were softened by algae, the dark, cool space echoed, and once through the arch we found ourselves in an oasis of green light and clear water. Then, at the other end of the bay’s head, the brown bear reemerged from the forest edge and began grazing the beach rye. Many kayakers and Zodiac cruisers, approaching quietly and slowly, were able to observe this young bear at eye level. Although it lifted its head on occasion to sniff the air, it continued browsing the beach as we watched, and we had the rare privilege of observing a wild creature go about its business even as it was aware of our presence. For a moment, we felt as if we were not observers of this place, but participants in it, which, for this week, we are.
