Alaska Flotilla: Leg 5, Day 12 – Yes Bay to Fitzgibbon Cove
Today we traveled through the Misty Fjords National Monument. This wilderness area was designated by President Carter in 1980, and contains over 2 million acres of forest land. This wild expanse of land is considered part of the coastal temperate rainforest and receives over 160 inches of rain annually. Today was no different as a light, misty, rain fell cloaking the forest in low wispy clouds.
It was a peaceful day out on the water, and not too long of a trip to get to Fitzgibbons Cove. We cruised past some historic sites that Captain George Vancouver had visited during his surveying exploration of the area in the 1790s. One of the only battles that he ever faced against the native people of the area happened in Behm Canal where we traveled today. It is amazing to think about him and his crew out here mapping these coastlines with their simple technologies and small row boats. It was an incredible undertaking and the charts that they created are amazingly accurate.
Once in Fitzgibbon cove, Discovery went out fishing in their dinghy and brought back a 40lb halibut! There was also plenty of crab to go around, and Change of Latitude shared their catch with the rest of us. The rain let up, and there was time to head out in the kayaks and dinghies and explore. The shoreline was so densely forested that we couldn’t really go on land, but we poked around the shoreline admiring the creatures and colors of the intertidal zone.
We gathered on Deception for a happy hour this evening and it was nice to spend some time together. This group has a great diversity of experience and there is much that we can all learn from one another. The evening ended with a bang, literally! Jordan broke out the cannon and we fired a celebratory shot. We were celebrating being together in this wild place and also the fact that today was Dee and Martin’s 32nd wedding anniversary! We’re wishing them all the best today.
Change of Latitude kindly invited the crew on Deception over for dinner this evening. We spent a lovely evening dining on their freshly caught and deliciously cooked seafood. This group is treating us too well! Last night Bonum Vitae had us over for homemade dessert from Annett. It has been a great pleasure traveling with this group and getting to know them better over the past week or so.
