Hanus Bay
Seaweed encrusted rocks flanked our landing site at the Lake Eva trailhead. The minus 3.5 tide exposed extensive flats with clam shells. Fragile shrimp danced on tiptoe in the shallows. Kayakers shoved off into Hanus Bay, then paddled through the quiet water past bald eagles and harbor seals. Two deer appeared briefly along the forest's edge.
Hikers quickly became enveloped by a thick forest of hemlock and spruce. Tiny coralroot orchids and lovely queen's cup lilies grew in the limited light beneath the towering trees. The trail led into the open at a sheltered inner lagoon trimmed with a meadow margin dotted with buttercups, paintbrushes, and other wildflowers. Then the bear was spotted. A brown bear grazed just ahead. Long hikers and the first group of leisure walkers moved to a safe viewing site and watched this magnificent symbol of wilderness for 30 minutes as it continued to eat, seemingly unconcerned by our presence. What a thrill!
By late morning the Sea Bird was again underway. Our expedition leader shared a video he had taken the day before while scuba diving. Close-ups of nudibranchs, sea stars, and other creatures opened a window into the rich and diverse life beneath the surface.
Basket Bay was the afternoon destination, a tranquil spot for Zodiac cruises. A narrow stream emerged from a fern-covered grotto. Only one boat at a time could maneuver through the channel. The boats crept back then slid beneath the limestone arch pictured, a remnant of what at one time was a much larger cave that partially collapsed over time. We returned to the ship after a beautiful sunny day for The Captain's Farewell Dinner and our last evening together traveling through the Inside Passage of Southeast Alaska.
Seaweed encrusted rocks flanked our landing site at the Lake Eva trailhead. The minus 3.5 tide exposed extensive flats with clam shells. Fragile shrimp danced on tiptoe in the shallows. Kayakers shoved off into Hanus Bay, then paddled through the quiet water past bald eagles and harbor seals. Two deer appeared briefly along the forest's edge.
Hikers quickly became enveloped by a thick forest of hemlock and spruce. Tiny coralroot orchids and lovely queen's cup lilies grew in the limited light beneath the towering trees. The trail led into the open at a sheltered inner lagoon trimmed with a meadow margin dotted with buttercups, paintbrushes, and other wildflowers. Then the bear was spotted. A brown bear grazed just ahead. Long hikers and the first group of leisure walkers moved to a safe viewing site and watched this magnificent symbol of wilderness for 30 minutes as it continued to eat, seemingly unconcerned by our presence. What a thrill!
By late morning the Sea Bird was again underway. Our expedition leader shared a video he had taken the day before while scuba diving. Close-ups of nudibranchs, sea stars, and other creatures opened a window into the rich and diverse life beneath the surface.
Basket Bay was the afternoon destination, a tranquil spot for Zodiac cruises. A narrow stream emerged from a fern-covered grotto. Only one boat at a time could maneuver through the channel. The boats crept back then slid beneath the limestone arch pictured, a remnant of what at one time was a much larger cave that partially collapsed over time. We returned to the ship after a beautiful sunny day for The Captain's Farewell Dinner and our last evening together traveling through the Inside Passage of Southeast Alaska.
