Lake Eva, Baranof Island
This morning we cruised along the bays of the east side of Chichagof Island. We were on the lookout for bears and/or whales. In the whale category there were questions as to where the orca were. There had been mumbling by the naturalists on the trip of the existence of these fabled animals somewhere in Alaska. The talk was usually vague and had to do with the infrequency with which they were seen on our trips. To bide our time and become more educated on the clues we may find, Linda Burback talked about signs of all kinds in the forest and around our homes. We came away from the lecture with a better appreciation for the small details left behind by animals. On our way to our afternoon stop we did sight a bear hungrily eating grass along the shore. Later in the morning there was another presentation by Andy Szabo from the Alaska Whale Foundation who caught up with the Sea Lion in Hanus Bay. He talked to us about the important work being done by the AWF with the humpback whales of the area. This brought us to lunch, which we enjoyed knowing we had a full afternoon planned.
The kayaks and Zodiacs were put down for the last time and we headed into a landing simply called Lake Eva. This place is known for two things, salmon and the bears that eat them. There were salmon in the stream that we walked along. The naturalist pointed out the different kinds of salmon and talked about their reproductive strategies, all the way keeping a wary eye on the forest for there are bears around. The salmon have just started running this week in Lake Eva so the bears are hungry right now. We found prints of bears, scratching of bears and fresh bear scat, but no sightings of bears at Lake Eva. The tide was rising so those of us who kayaked had a great opportunity to paddle right up to the falls that are the test for so many salmon before they make their way to the spawning grounds of the lake. It was amazing to think of this spot as a hunting ground for bears and the beginning and ending of life for all those salmon.
Not to be outdone by the humpback whales of last night's dinner, two killer whales approached the ship during the Captains' farewell dinner. We quickly raised anchor and followed as they made their way east. We, however, are going west so we said goodbye and headed towards Sitka through Peril Strait.
This morning we cruised along the bays of the east side of Chichagof Island. We were on the lookout for bears and/or whales. In the whale category there were questions as to where the orca were. There had been mumbling by the naturalists on the trip of the existence of these fabled animals somewhere in Alaska. The talk was usually vague and had to do with the infrequency with which they were seen on our trips. To bide our time and become more educated on the clues we may find, Linda Burback talked about signs of all kinds in the forest and around our homes. We came away from the lecture with a better appreciation for the small details left behind by animals. On our way to our afternoon stop we did sight a bear hungrily eating grass along the shore. Later in the morning there was another presentation by Andy Szabo from the Alaska Whale Foundation who caught up with the Sea Lion in Hanus Bay. He talked to us about the important work being done by the AWF with the humpback whales of the area. This brought us to lunch, which we enjoyed knowing we had a full afternoon planned.
The kayaks and Zodiacs were put down for the last time and we headed into a landing simply called Lake Eva. This place is known for two things, salmon and the bears that eat them. There were salmon in the stream that we walked along. The naturalist pointed out the different kinds of salmon and talked about their reproductive strategies, all the way keeping a wary eye on the forest for there are bears around. The salmon have just started running this week in Lake Eva so the bears are hungry right now. We found prints of bears, scratching of bears and fresh bear scat, but no sightings of bears at Lake Eva. The tide was rising so those of us who kayaked had a great opportunity to paddle right up to the falls that are the test for so many salmon before they make their way to the spawning grounds of the lake. It was amazing to think of this spot as a hunting ground for bears and the beginning and ending of life for all those salmon.
Not to be outdone by the humpback whales of last night's dinner, two killer whales approached the ship during the Captains' farewell dinner. We quickly raised anchor and followed as they made their way east. We, however, are going west so we said goodbye and headed towards Sitka through Peril Strait.
