Our morning started before breakfast as we peacefully listened to and watched a humpback whale surface, take a breath, and dive deep again for its own breakfast. After that serene early morning tonic, and with only a little bit of rain, we hiked deep into the coastal temperate rainforest towards Lake Eva, ever watchful for bears, river otters, and other critters of the woods. We marveled at the massive Sitka spruce and western hemlock trees towering above us, like pillars in a cathedral, a temple of wilderness in a unique part of the world. We had not had enough of this inspiring cold-weather jungle, and so in the afternoon we explored the edge of the forest in Sitkoh Bay and learned about the power of the forest to regenerate and all the links between land and ocean. The highlight was the brown bear that blocked our path back to our boat-landing. While we waited to be picked up in a different area—a safe distance from the brown bear—we had a marvelous time watching the bear stroll the beach and eat its dinner of coastal sedges. Tomorrow, we will explore the historical town of Sitka before the end of our journey.