Yet another sunny day! Beyond a few patches of low fog hanging over the islands, the day dawned sparkling and brilliant. We dropped anchor in Pavlof Harbor and headed to shore for the morning. Kayakers paddled around the small protected bay and up a stream, spotting a couple of shy harbor seals and admiring the amazing clarity of the water. Those with a strong sense of adventure sallied forth to stretch their legs around the banks of a large lake, following bear trails, crawling over and under logs, bushwhacking through forest, and enjoying the birds and flowers. Other hikers had a more casual stroll alongside a waterfall, exploring items left behind by the historic salmon cannery operation and finding a beaver lodge with many shorn off trees nearby. Wood frogs hopped along the path and waist-high grasses waved in a light breeze as we soaked in the scenery of mountains and lake. A red-breasted sapsucker darted through the alders and pacific wrens warbled from the blueberry bushes. Many spring flowers were blooming along the beaches and meadows, including reddish-pink paintbrush, butter-yellow silverweed, and a few elusive coralroot orchids.
The afternoon was spent cruising Chatham Strait in pursuit of whales. Distant blows and a handful of black backs arching through the waves tantalized us and for a few hours we slowly followed the whales as they fed and fluked.
Undersea specialist Paul North presented his dive footage from the day, we shared our final recap of the journey, and the captain's dinner was chased down by sunset and whales in Peril Strait. It is the end of a truly spectacular week in southeast Alaska.
