We sailed out of Sitka Harbor last night under a clear sky and calm seas. We awoke this morning in picturesque Sitkoh Bay to black-tailed Sitka deer foraging on the shoreline, and just slightly further on, two brown bears lumbering at a distance. Later, we saw the telltale blow of humpback whales in a nearby cove and ventured closer to observe a mother and calf peacefully feeding. We spent the second half of our day on Lake Eva hiking in the characteristic Southeast Alaskan rainforest and kayaking the rich waters where river meets sea.
8/1/2019
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National Geographic Venture
Baranof Island
After exploring the glaciers and open waters of the northern Inside Passage, we sailed south through the night and returned to the starting point of our journey, Baranof Island. This island, along with Admiralty to the east and Chichagof to the north, is home to one of the highest densities of brown bears in the world. To search for evidence of the bears as they begin their yearly salmon feast and continue our exploration of the temperate rainforest, we anchored in Kelp Bay to kayak and hike the shoreline throughout the morning. Later in the afternoon, we welcomed Dr. Andy Szabo of the Alaska Whale Foundation to learn more about ongoing research taking place in Alaska on the unique bubblenet feeding behavior we witnessed earlier in the trip. Only in Alaska can you experience the forest, salmon, bears, and whales all in one day.
