Our last day aboard National Geographic Quest was quite an adventure along the west side of Chatham Strait. This wide waterway separates Admiralty Island from Baranof and Chichagof islands. These three large islands in southeast Alaska are home to a dense population of brown bears. Our goal for the morning was to find a nice beach from which we could enjoy kayaking, stand-up paddle boarding, and walks in the forest.
A small peninsula sticks out into Chatham Strait from Chichagof Island called Iokeen. It was the location of a gypsum mine almost 100 years ago and rotting pilings can still be seen near the mouth of a river. The weather was beautiful for our activities. The walks in the forest produced many signs that bears were nearby. As we were coming back to the ship one bear did make a brief appearance on the beach we had just been walking on but it quickly disappeared back into the trees.
Once back on board a polar plunge was offered for those brave enough to ply the cool waters of the bay. The sun was out and laughter and yells of support filled the fantail as dozens of quests enjoyed a quick dip.
The afternoon was spent making our way west towards our disembarkation destination city of Sitka which will bring a close to the inaugural expedition aboard the newest ship in the Lindblad/National Geographic fleet. National Geographic Quest is a great ship for the waters of Southeast Alaska and has provided a wonderful week in this spectacular place.
