Alaska 2004

Sitka

Sitka Raptor Center

Hungry Bald Eagles

Hot Springs

Admiralty Island

Iceberg Fantasy

Rainforest Details

Whales in Frederick Sound

Bubble Feeding Humpbacks

The Good Life Aboard the Delphinus

Petersburg
In Alaska, sunsets can last for hours. Here, clouds reflect on mirror-calm Frederick Sound near The Five Fingers at about 9 p.m.
Alaska 2004 (July 14-21 on the Delphinus), with time in both Sitka and Petersburg before and after the boat trip, proved to be a spectacular trip, as always. It was a time of whales, bears, eagles, rainforest hikes, great company and that special beauty that is Southeast Alaska. We were treated to mostly sunny weather, unusual for Southeast.

After a few days in Sitka, we embarked on the Delphinus, detouring southwest to St. Lazaria Island before heading north through Neva Strait and Sergius Narrows. Anchoring for the night in Hanus Bay on the south side of Peril Strait, we hiked the next morning to Lake Eva. The highlight of that lovely walk was a close encounter with a brown bear prospecting the lake outlet for salmon. As soon as the bear saw us, it was gone.

From there, we headed east across Chatham Strait to the Tlingit Native village of Angoon, where we visited for a short time with Joanne George, an acclaimed Alaska artist. The afternoon was filled with bubble-feeding humpback whales right next to the town of Angoon. We stayed with them for hours, and then anchored for the night in a cove south of Angoon. The next morning we headed across Chatham Strait to Warm Springs Bay, encountering our only choppy water of the trip. Rather than toughing it out in the rough water, we dawdled all day at Warm Springs Bay, enjoying the scenery and hot springs.

Late that night, we headed southeast, past the south tip of Admiralty Island, anchoring in Chapin Bay. The next morning we made the long haul to Pack Creek, near the north end of the island. Several times, Dall porpoises frolicked an splashed at our bow; they were almost too fast to photograph.

After a fine time at Pack Creek, we returned south, anchoring in Pleasant Bay on the east side of Admiralty. And then it was time for whale watching, which we did in Frederick Sound over the next few days, interspersing our whale time with a great walk in the picture-perfect Brothers Islands.

We then meandered south towards Petersburg, enjoying some of the best whale viewing of the trip. We detoured into Thomas Bay and finding another boat at one of our favorite destinations, Cascade Bay/Falls, we opted to go to Scenery Cove on the north end of the bay.

We concluded the trip in lovely, friendly Petersburg.
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