We are closely following the progress of Hurricane Irma as it heads for Florida and the Keys – places where we have several close friends and family sitting directly in the path. Our hearts go out to all those impacted by these storms – in Texas, the Leeward Islands, the Bahamas. And let’s not forget the wildfires in Oregon, where one of my cousins lives, now prepared and ready to evacuate their only home in case the fires get closer. The air is full of ash and the smoke makes people’s eyes burn – not a healthy situation which won’t go away overnight.
We have first-hand experience with big hurricanes – the urgency and fear and exhaustion that comes from preparing the boat and then evacuating – leaving our only home to the vagaries of the storm and its aftermath. We were in the lower Keys through Hurricane Andrew in ’92 – prepared, and counting ourselves lucky that the storm turned farther east… good for us, devastating for others. A week later we drove out of the Keys into the almost unrecognizable wreckage in Homestead and Miami-Dade in stunned silence. 
While I continue to get the Blog caught up and we share the beauty and wonder of Alaska, I don’t want readers to think that we’re blind to what’s going on “outside”. It’s foremost in our hearts and minds, and reinforces the gratitude we greet each day with. We’re lucky, and that can be a fleeting thing.
And so, as we traveled from Warm Springs around the bottom of Admiralty Island we spotted more whales than we had seen all summer farther north. Even heading in between rocky islands to an anchorage in Gambier Bay we spotted humpbacks and orcas.
We were on our way to see bears, but it’s a long trip up Seymour Canal and we had to pause along the way. Our permits for Pack Creek didn’t start for another day so we could spend an extra day anchored in Gambier. I picked out a few spots to explore by kayak while I waited for the tide to get high enough to get into the marsh at the back of the cove. 
I knew there were lots of birds back in those channels – flocks of cackling geese and a handful of eagles, but I didn’t expect to see so many small wading birds like this spotted sandpiper…
…and yellowlegs…
But as I sat watching one set of birds, I noticed that I was floating right next to about two dozen least sandpipers, sleeping and resting quietly in the grass.
I almost missed them – they were so camouflaged.
I was so excited about going up to the bear preserve that I hadn’t been thinking about the birds, and could have spent more time hanging out in the marsh to see what other species were hiding there… but the permits were for specific dates… and the bears were waiting.
He eventually cracked one eye open to look around, but quickly resumed his afternoon nap.
As I described in an earlier post, the seine skiff is used to pull the long net out and then around to encircle the salmon. It’s a powerful boat – all engine with no muffler. When the end of the net has been brought back to the big boat and they start to haul in the net using that big power block on the boom, the seine skiff pulls on the opposite side of the big boat to help stabilize it, and to keep it in position – so the boat pulls the net rather than getting pulled to the net. 
These commercial fishing boats are serious business investments, with a brand new seine skiff (the small boat) costing as much as $250K. The best fishermen take good care of their boats and gear, and these complex machines are always interesting to see.
On the other hand, not everyone takes good care of their boats. This inflatable boat has been in the harbor for years, and apparently no one seems to care. The grass sprouting wasn’t planted there by human hands, and the growth on the bottom is plentiful and healthy.
After enjoying some good cell signal so we could catch up on email and phone calls, we headed to the Magoun Islands to explore for a bit. The weather was not nice – windy and rainy, but when we tucked into a little anchorage to hide out we found our friends Gerry and Knut on their Krogen 48 – a happy surprise. We stayed an extra day so we could have dinner together and catch up. They are serious fishing people and their freezers were already full from a successful summer, though they planned to fish more before the season wrapped up.
As we got into the more open section of the strait we started seeing more whales, which have been somewhat scarce for us this summer. We saw some bubble net feeding at a distance, and some whales doing half-hearted breaches. Watching something that large erupt from the water never fails to thrill! YOWZA!
After an overnight anchored at the top of Peril Strait, the weather cleared and we had a pretty ride down to Baranof Warm Springs, on the east side of Baranof Island – the opposite side from Sitka. Warm Springs Bay has a roaring waterfall, a tiny cluster of houses along a small boardwalk, and a natural hot spring. 
The hot sulphur-y water is piped down to a little bath house with three separate rooms each with a big tub for soaking.
The bath house overlooks the bay and the waterfall – a lovely view to enjoy while you soak in the steamy hot water.
You can also hike up to the natural hot pools in the woods, avoiding the bear scat on the trail, but there’s no cold water tap handy to help cool down the water up there. I like the natural pools – they’re right next to the top of the waterfall, but sometimes a more civilized soak closer to the dock leaves more time to go out for a paddle in the kayak. The tide was very high so I could get through the narrow entrance and explore the hidden pond… so pretty.
…and then a quick stop close to the waterfall, backlit in the late day sun. With all the rain we’ve had this summer, the waterfall was running as though it was spring!