2023 Alaska Flotilla – Leg 3, Day 10 Sandborn Canal to Thomas Bay
Rising with the sun and waking up to the peaks around us we brought up our hooks and stowed our lines to start making way into our last anchorage of this incredible trip through SE Alaska together. It’s hard to believe that we have already spent 10 days on the water, but we absolutely plan to continue taking it all in every moment we can, frame by frame, piece by piece.
Pulling into Thomas Bay, the glacial till from the Stikine ice field made the water a teal color that was hard to wrap our heads around.
This icecap itself is parent to both the well-known Saywer and LeConte glaciers, and within Thomas Bay you can see a piece of the icecap that has advanced into a small glacier tucked behind a stunning tidal flat of glacial silt.
Rafting up near today’s trailhead we basked in the sun and got everyone secured, set aside some time to eat lunch, and made our way into the forest.
The Cascade Creek trail harbors an astounding waterfall that was rushing with water run off with an incredible amount of strength. Standing in the mists of the lake and snowmelt run off we were all taken aback by just how lucky we were to be spending our last adventure alongside so much power.
As we made our way up the trail the flora was lush with water and the creek was white with impressive turbulence.
Taking it step by step the slick trial was our most immersive experience yet, but with determination we continued on as far as we could.
Pausing at viewpoint of the windy creek we decided to turn back to make our way home and enjoy some time in the sun before it snuck behind the peaks that flanked our anchorage. Back at home we rinsed our shoes and thanked our teams for meandering around the forest with us, enjoying the refreshing ocean waters with a quick dip and prepared for our crew dinners back at our home bases, but not before sharing a drink or two with our rafted neighbors.
Thomas Bay has been one of our most beautiful days yet, and to share the experiences with this fleet of folks is something we can all truly say we cannot be more thankful for.
