The water in this protected bay was flat calm, broken only by the gentle wake of our kayaks as they sliced silently through the water. Several bald eagles flew overhead, while others congregated on the tidal flat at the head of the bay. Meanwhile on shore, the hikers explored the shoreline, poking into the rain forest to marvel at the towering giant trees of Sitka spruce and western hemlock. The raindrops falling from the canopy above made a lovely sound that seemed to echo through the forest.
Later in the day, as the Sea Bird sailed out Peril Strait, we encountered two humpback whales which swam circles around the ship for over an hour, repeatedly showing their flukes as they made deep dives. Then just before dinner, a brown bear was spotted from the bridge by Third Officer Tom Markwardt. For nearly 20 minutes, the ship followed the bear along the shoreline as it grazed on berries and scavenged for scraps along the rocky shore. As we finally gathered for "recap" in the lounge to recount the events of the day, a rainbow appeared ahead of the ship, a fitting end to a great day.
