Just outside of Sitka, we explored Emmons Island, home to old growth coastal temperate rainforests and a bog-like ecosystem called a muskeg. Signs of mammals are prevalent, from deer scat and skunk cabbage-nibbled leaves to deer and river otter tracks. We also enjoyed the water’s edge via Zodiac and kayak. Our Zodiac cruisers were fortunate to see a feeding humpback and lone brown bear, not to mention the numerous bald eagles flying by.