Sitkoh Bay, Morris Reef and Lake Eva
In the early morning hours of our first day, the Sea Bird passed a number of humpback whales blowing their frosty spouts above the calm, glassy waters of Chatham Strait. As Trip Dennis, our Expedition Leader, gave us a wake up call, the ship began a transit into Sitkoh Bay in search of brown bears. Although we saw no bears, we passed the old Sitkoh cannery, one of many derelict canneries in Southeast Alaska that speak to us of times when both humans and salmon were in greater abundance. The rest of our morning was spent among humpback whales. For hours we drifted from one small group to another to observe these leviathans going about their daily whale business. In addition to watching two mother and calf pairs, we saw humpbacks breaching, flipper slapping, tail slapping and lunge feeding…and we listened—listened to the deep, hollow explosion of air blasting from their blowholes as they surfaced in the stillness of this morning. What an incredible treat!
Our afternoon was spent in the area of Lake Eva on Baranoff Island. Here we had an introduction to the splendid rain forests of Southeast Alaska and a chance to kayak in the bay and stream that leads from Lake Eva to the sea. Old growth forest, big salmon run, harbor seals and pristine wilderness—what more could we ask for in an afternoon? Actually we could ask for one more thing…good weather and we had that too—warm sunshine and mostly blue skies. There is little in this world that can top sitting in the sunshine in a kayak at the base of a wilderness waterfall along with schools of highly motivated salmon waiting to leap up the falls to their spawning grounds upstream. Oh, and there were eagles screaming as they did acrobatics while circling over our heads too. Yes indeed, definitely another day in paradise.
In the early morning hours of our first day, the Sea Bird passed a number of humpback whales blowing their frosty spouts above the calm, glassy waters of Chatham Strait. As Trip Dennis, our Expedition Leader, gave us a wake up call, the ship began a transit into Sitkoh Bay in search of brown bears. Although we saw no bears, we passed the old Sitkoh cannery, one of many derelict canneries in Southeast Alaska that speak to us of times when both humans and salmon were in greater abundance. The rest of our morning was spent among humpback whales. For hours we drifted from one small group to another to observe these leviathans going about their daily whale business. In addition to watching two mother and calf pairs, we saw humpbacks breaching, flipper slapping, tail slapping and lunge feeding…and we listened—listened to the deep, hollow explosion of air blasting from their blowholes as they surfaced in the stillness of this morning. What an incredible treat!
Our afternoon was spent in the area of Lake Eva on Baranoff Island. Here we had an introduction to the splendid rain forests of Southeast Alaska and a chance to kayak in the bay and stream that leads from Lake Eva to the sea. Old growth forest, big salmon run, harbor seals and pristine wilderness—what more could we ask for in an afternoon? Actually we could ask for one more thing…good weather and we had that too—warm sunshine and mostly blue skies. There is little in this world that can top sitting in the sunshine in a kayak at the base of a wilderness waterfall along with schools of highly motivated salmon waiting to leap up the falls to their spawning grounds upstream. Oh, and there were eagles screaming as they did acrobatics while circling over our heads too. Yes indeed, definitely another day in paradise.
