After exploring tidewater glaciers, dramatic fjord landscapes, the adventure opportunities of Haines, and coastal wildlife, today’s activities highlighted the region’s primary ecosystem: the temperate rain forest. Southeast Alaska gets upwards of 200 inches of rainfall per year, supporting abundant vegetation growth in addition to the freshwater habitats essential for salmon. We spent the entire day at Lake Eva enjoying guided hikes, kayak excursions, and shoreline cruises by expedition landing craft. A number of daring guests chose to swim from the beach, taking a bracing polar plunge! Whale viewing, the voyage video chronicle preview, and a slideshow of photos from the trip closed out this incredible final day of our time together.
Our experiences and discoveries in Southeast Alaska over the past week have inspired poems by two members of the community:
Sawyer
She retreats slowly
Humbled by her blue embrace
Ice tranquility
by Todd Louis
Humpback Whale
Water flies from the blowhole,
Fin splits the water,
Tail slaps the ocean.
Humpback whale.
by Skye Larson, age 9
