Lake Eva, Peril Strait

The morning started with a sighting of killer whales. We trailed these animals, watching them come up for numerous breaths, leading to our morning anchor and Lake Eva. The rest of the morning we spent time hiking or kayaking around the area surrounding Lake Eva. Those of us that chose to kayak were treated with view of many harbor seals, swimming and playing in the water. At times you had to wonder who was more interested in whom. The hikers spent their last morning walking throughout the forest finding many signs of its residence: large, full bear tracks were found, along with beaver markings on numerous trees.

During cocktail hour many of the children reminded us of the animals that we had learned about throughout the week. With personalized poems, they mimicked bears, eagles, whales, puffins and even a banana slug. The part of the show that received the most laughs was not from a display of an animal, but of the imitation of our naturalists.

Alaska was truly magical this week. We have spent our entire time exploring the coast of this beautiful area. We have traveled to the faces of glaciers deep inside long fjords, to beaches beneath the towering trees of the rainforest, to a small community where Alaskans live and work and to the rich, productive waters between the islands where numerous marine mammals thrive. This has been a full and exciting week.