Alaska's Inside Passage —
Day 2: Lake Eva & Saook Bay
Sunrise: 0416 Sunset: 2154 High tide: 0900 10.1 ft. Low tide: 1447 4.2 ft. High tide: 2101 14.4 ft.
Monday, July 9, 2007
In the morning, we go ashore for our first chance to explore this lush, temperate rainforest. The ship is anchored in Hanus Bay, on the northeast end of Baranof Island. The forest is beautiful with a stream which supports several species of salmon, as well as Dolly Varden char and cutthroat trout. We are hiking with naturalists, and everyone can choose a hike of varying duration and difficulty.
Highlight of the day: A rain forest in Alaska
The images one has of the tropical rain forest are also true of the old-growth forests of the Pacific Northwest. The mild climate and location of the area have produced an ecosystem in which time passes very slowly. Trees in this forest grow to immense sizes and live incredibly long lives. The temperate rain forests of the Pacific Northwest stretch in a narrow band from the redwood forests of extreme northern California, western Oregon and Washington and continue north through Canada to Sitka in coastal Alaska. Small pockets of temperate rain forests are also found in the Rocky Mountain areas of northwestern Montana at its border with Canada. |
Rain forest. The words bring exotic flowers, colorful birds, lush plant life and high humidity to mind. They are true of the tropical rain forests of equatorial Central and South America. Few people, however, realize that a similar climate and circumstances exist in North America which has produced an area known as the temperate rain forest.
We are hiking on a U.S Forest Service trail, which was very muddy.
As we very told: It is much better to fall in love with your rubber boots soon!
We get underway at lunchtime, and cruise toward our afternoon's anchorage, Saook Bay on the north side of Baranof Island. Baranof is one of the three large islands of the Southeast Alaskan archipelago, known collectively as the ABC Islands: Admiralty, Baranof and Chichagof. Saook Bay is a long, narrow bay with interesting shoreline and a large grassy meadow at the head of the bay. We'll get the small boats out, and offer an opportunity to explore on the water, either by kayak or by Zodiac.
First of many more sightings to follow: Killer whales
Did you know?
Peril Strait is so named because of an incident that occurred in 1799, not for its navigational hazards. Capt. V.F. Lisianski originally named the passage “pernicious strait” in his account of 150 Aleuts who perished here after eating poisonous mussels.