As the National Geographic Sea Lion cruised southward down Chatham Strait, it was unclear what the day would hold as far as weather. The forecast was for “small-craft” warnings, but so far it seemed like a normal day in Southeast Alaska, light rain and overcast. Of course that would not affect our activities scheduled for the morning, so we continued on toward our anchorage at Lake Eva!
During breakfast we arrived, dropped anchor, and prepared to head for the landing site on Baranof Island. This morning had a very low tide at our landing site, which exposed a number of intertidal organisms such as sea stars, anemomes and mussels, which intrigued many of our guests, especially the young explorers in the crowd! It would be a full morning, with several different hikes, long-exercise, medium, and a shorter photo hike, all exploring this beautiful area along the salmon spawning stream leading up to Lake Eva! One unique addition to the medium hikes was an opportunity to observe as our undersea specialist snorkeled in the stream about a half mile up the trail, hoping to video the several species of salmon getting ready to spawn in this wilderness setting! There was also the chance to kayak after the short and medium hikes, which was taken advantage of by numerous guests. The wind had increased slightly around Hanus Bay, where the National Geographic Sea Lion was anchored, but it did not really affect any of the dedicated kayakers!
Soon it was time to return to the ship, have some lunch, and head back to Chatham Strait, where we would again turn south toward several afternoon destinations. First we visited a spectacular waterfall called Kasnyku Falls, where the Captain brought us in up-close-and-personal with this thunderous cascade. Next it was off to Warm Springs Bay, where we had a friend come on board, Dr. Andy Szabo, to give us a talk on humpback whales, and the research that he and his colleagues have been doing for more than twenty years. While that was going on, the divers had another chance to explore the magnificent undersea world of Southeast Alaska.
Again, it was time to raise anchor and head farther south to a protected inlet called Red Bluff Bay, where after dinner we would explore this amazing landscape, and maybe sit in front of another towering waterfall! Just another exciting, and full day, in Southeast Alaska!
