After cruising through the night along Chatham Strait from Glacier Bay National Park, we awoke to the rhythmic sound of the anchor chain being weighed in Hanus Bay. Hanus Bay is a small cove that juts into the north coast of Baranof Island that offers excellent views of Chichagof Island across the channel. Here, a river fed by Lake Eva descends to the sea.
Our morning was spent enjoying a myriad of activities including expedition landing craft cruises of Hanus Bay where some of us were lucky enough to see a brown bear. Some of us enjoyed the peace and solitude of a kayak excursion, while others took pleasure in a naturalist-led hike on an excellent trail to or towards Lake Eva. The forest is particularly lovely, with a rich understory of mosses, ferns, and shrubs. The full cycle of forest life can be observed here with fungi consuming dead trees, saplings rising from nurse logs, mature trees soaring into the canopy, and snags leaning over the small river. Our morning activities ended with a few brave souls participating in a “polar plunge.”
After lunch we continued along Chatham Strait investigating various bays for wildlife and were lucky enough to find some breaching humpback whales. Many of our guests participated in a laptop photo show that highlighted their best photographs, and our photo experts gathered the best of the guests’ photos for a group slideshow during this evening’s Recap. One of our last activities together (prior to Recap and the Captain’s farewell dinner) was a group photo of the expedition staff—the staff decided to turn the tables and get a group shot of our amazing guests at the same time. This was an amazing day and perfect ending for our two-week voyage through British Columbia, Haida Gwai, and Southeast Alaska for the National Geographic Sea Bird!
