Hoonah to Pavlof Bay

It was another wonderful, clear day as we cruised through Icy Strait and turned south down around the eastern side of Chichagof Island. The Fairweather mountains were still visible behind us and the Coast Range along Lynn Canal came into full view with its many large ice fields and glaciers. Our best humpback whale sighting of the day occurred right as we pulled into Freshwater bay. A mother and calf pair were feeding alongside one another. We watched as the calf followed its mothers lead, surfacing and diving just after she did.

We anchored up in Pavlof Bay in the early afternoon. There is a large waterfall that feeds into the back of the bay. Our dinghy excursion to the falls revealed the site of an old cannery. The fish weir was still there, creating an artificial route for the salmon to return to their spawning grounds. After a little poking around we found a well-established trail that took us back to the lake feeding the falls. It was a beautiful walk through lush green forest with giant skunk cabbage, false lilly of the valley, and flowering dogwood as ground cover. Out in the marshy meadow surrounding the lake we had beautiful views of the surrounding mountains of Chichagof Island.

Thea had the Deception crew over for dinner this evening. They made us Dave’s world-famous soup and Janet’s delicious homemade sourdough bread with olives and roasted garlic. We had a lovely time swapping stories with their crew. Jay, Sheila, Brandon and Ashley all live in Iowa, but are adjusting nicely to life onboard in Alaska.

It was a beautiful warm evening in the bay and the Deception crew decided it was time for another polar plunge! This time they were joined by Chris from Bonum Vitae and Brandon from Thea. The cold water was so invigorating we all had to do multiple dives from the boat. For those who could stay up for it the sunset was spectacular this evening around 10pm. The sky lit up with orange and pink making the whole bay glow with rosy color.

P.S. Is Alaska on your bucket list? We can take you there! Reserve your spot on our 2022 Mother Goose AK Flotilla today.