The last day of our expedition in Southeast Alaska started in a great way, with a beautiful brown bear sow walking by herself on the beach; we all watched her from the ship and only whispering and camera clicks could be heard around. Eventually the bear retreated into the forest and we continued navigating. And all this before breakfast! Brown bears are very common in Southeast Alaska, particularly in the so called “ABC” islands –Admiralty, Baranof and Chichagof – and it is common to see them quietly foraging on shore eating grasses or looking for barnacles, clams or other marine creatures in the intertidal zone at low tide. In a little while, they will congregate around the myriad of salmon streams in the area to feast on the bounty of the five different species of salmon that return to their native freshwater realms.
A little later National Geographic Sea Lion anchored at a beautiful bay located on the eastern shore of Baranof Island, the site of a wonderful place known as Lake Eva. There we divided into different groups to explore the land and the waters by kayaking and hiking. Kayakers entered the stream that connects Lake Eva with the ocean and were lucky to watch salmon and the occasional harbor seal, whereas hikers got the chance to rejoice once again with the beauty of the Tongass National Forest. I went scuba diving and brought underwater video of many of the amazing and sometimes bizarre creatures that live beneath the waves for everyone to see. Lion’s mane jellyfish, crimson anemone, candy-stripe shrimp and Puget Sound king crab were some of the animals that I encountered today.
During the afternoon we cruised the waters of Chatham Strait and found several more brown bears on shore, including a particularly beautiful sow with blonde shoulders and neck. That made for a wonderful farewell to a great week in the wilds of Southeast Alaska.
