The spectacularly sunny morning was filled with cruising the Peril and Chatham Straits in search of wildlife. Sightings included Sitka black-tailed deer, bald eagles, Steller sea lions, and humpback whales.
For the afternoon, it was time to explore Southeast Alaska on foot, after a short Zodiac ride to a rocky beach on Chichagof Island in Sitkoh Bay. Some guests opted for a casual-to-moderate hike along an old logging road skirting the coastline, concealed within a forest of some old-growth Sitka spruce and hemlock trees dotted with groves of aspen trees. Others went for the much more vigorous bushwhacking hike that led them along the same road, but then through the forest into the mud and marsh flats leading toward a stream. Along the way, our paths crossed that of a coastal brown bear sow and her two cubs. Many of us caught a brief glimpse as momma bear moved into the forest, with her cubs trailing a few seconds behind.
Such a great start to sighting wildlife and spectacular views here in Southeast Alaska!
