The fog and rain broke today revealing the crystalline, dew-covered floor of the rainforest’s moss, laying out a soft carpet for hikers at George Island. Trekkers wended through Sitka spruce and western hemlock, finding mushrooms and witches’ hair enveloping tree trunks and outstretched limbs. Searchers among the intertidal pools found crabs, sea stars, and colorful sea anemones, rippling just beneath the water.
After lunch, the group loaded onto our expedition watercraft to tour the Inian Islands, a place rife with marine life. Young male sea lions “porpoised” over one another and rode the wakes of humpbacks. Undisturbed by the boats, one humpback approached a vehicle and dove beneath it, while guests held their breath waiting for it to emerge on the other side. The tour finished with bobbing sea otters floating among kelp and a bonded pair of bald eagles perched atop a rocky cliff, watching the waters closely for dinner.
