Lake Eva and Peril Strait, Southeast Alaska
It was a promising start to our day in Hanus Bay, at the northeastern corner of Baranof Island: a large brown bear on the beach to greet our arrival. He disappeared into the forest as the anchor slid noiselessly (OK – not really noiselessly) down the hawse pipe. Our morning options were kayaking in the quiet cove as salmon leapt from the water all around us, and an aerobic hike through the old-growth forest and along a stream to Lake Eva. We stopped where a pool has formed just above a small waterfall. There we saw large numbers of red (sockeye) and chum (dog) salmon, the former resting on their journey to the lake above where they will spawn and die. As we were returning down from the Lake we found that the salmon pool had also been found by the bear. Radios crackled as information was exchanged. It was a large bear. No, it was a small bear. In fact, there were two bears, one of each size, following the trail as it paralleled the stream, feasting on the bounty of Alaskan salmon. We were happy to allow them priority passage. It was a thrilling reminder that Alaska remains a wild place.
The afternoon was spent traversing Peril Strait, a narrow passage separating Baranof from Chichigof Island, on our way to Sitka. It was a time to reflect upon the many sights and sounds of our journey in Southeast Alaska: the blue ice and “white thunder” of the glaciers; majestic forest trees and berry-laden bushes to be sampled along the trails; the mysterious bear trails of Fox Creek; humpback whales throwing their bodies from the water in full breaches (just why do they do that?) and casting their flukes into the air as they slip under the water to harvest the productivity of the sea; the sound of a waterfall, of raven and eagle calling over the forest, of the wind whispering through the hemlock boughs, the whoooosh of a humpback whale as it rises to the surface to breath – the sights and sounds of Alaska, the Great Land.
It was a promising start to our day in Hanus Bay, at the northeastern corner of Baranof Island: a large brown bear on the beach to greet our arrival. He disappeared into the forest as the anchor slid noiselessly (OK – not really noiselessly) down the hawse pipe. Our morning options were kayaking in the quiet cove as salmon leapt from the water all around us, and an aerobic hike through the old-growth forest and along a stream to Lake Eva. We stopped where a pool has formed just above a small waterfall. There we saw large numbers of red (sockeye) and chum (dog) salmon, the former resting on their journey to the lake above where they will spawn and die. As we were returning down from the Lake we found that the salmon pool had also been found by the bear. Radios crackled as information was exchanged. It was a large bear. No, it was a small bear. In fact, there were two bears, one of each size, following the trail as it paralleled the stream, feasting on the bounty of Alaskan salmon. We were happy to allow them priority passage. It was a thrilling reminder that Alaska remains a wild place.
The afternoon was spent traversing Peril Strait, a narrow passage separating Baranof from Chichigof Island, on our way to Sitka. It was a time to reflect upon the many sights and sounds of our journey in Southeast Alaska: the blue ice and “white thunder” of the glaciers; majestic forest trees and berry-laden bushes to be sampled along the trails; the mysterious bear trails of Fox Creek; humpback whales throwing their bodies from the water in full breaches (just why do they do that?) and casting their flukes into the air as they slip under the water to harvest the productivity of the sea; the sound of a waterfall, of raven and eagle calling over the forest, of the wind whispering through the hemlock boughs, the whoooosh of a humpback whale as it rises to the surface to breath – the sights and sounds of Alaska, the Great Land.
