Morning found us cruising into the flat waters of Freshwater Bay. Under a cloudless sky we went ashore at Pavlof Harbor to walk the coast. The tide was extremely low, exposing a diverse and colorful world not normally seen. Giant plume anemones, ochre sea stars, and clams were all locked up tight to weather the exposure of air and heat. Eelgrass, one of the few flowering plants to live in the ocean, hid shrimp and crabs between its thin blades.
After leaving the intertidal zone behind, we walked along the fringes of ancient forests. Robust Sitka spruce and the more slender Western hemlock rose towering above us as we followed the trails carved from the paws of countless bears. They led us to the cascade of Pavlof Stream as it tumbled down from Pavlof Lake into the bay. The falls were once home to a cannery that took advantage of annual sockeye salmon runs up to the lake. It was amazing to see so little evidence of the people that lived and worked beside the falls. Only a few rusted artifacts remain, scattered amongst the rocks and along the edge of the verdant forest.
Kayaks and boat rides let us bask in the silence of Freshwater Bay. The sharp cries of bald eagles and the occasional sighing breath of a surfacing humpback whale played with the splash of a paddle and water against the hull. Below the surface, giant plume anemones rose in ethereal columns, white against waters green with life. Lion nudibranchs clung to blades of heavy kelp, using their translucent hoods to net tiny animals caught in the tidal currents.
After pulling anchor we sailed south along Chatham Strait, enjoying the unusually warm weather. Sunscreen and sunhats made appearances on the bow as we scoured the waters with binoculars, searching for the distant blows of whales. Our last evening together was spent cruising Peril Strait and Sergius Narrows. The late Alaskan sunset will guide us west to Sitka, our final stop on this remarkable journey.
