Thursday | July 21

Yes Bay

“Like winds and sunsets, wil things were taken for granted until progress began to do away with them. Now we face the question whether a still higher ‘standard of living’ is worth its cos in things natural, wild and free. For us of the minority, the opportunity to see geese is more important than television, and the chance to find a pasque-flower is a right as inalienable as free speech.”

--Aldo Leopold, 1948. A Sand County Almanac

Sunshine for the first time in a long time in Yes Bay! Does anybody know where the name “Yes Bay” comes from? I’ve asked a couple of employees at the Yes Bay Lodge and have not seen any history labeled on the charts for this particular area.

Highlights include yodeling Common Loons, and an occasional bear that makes very brief entrances before ducking back into the forest.

I lead a group of kayakers into the inner bay.

I am surprised by the loud ringing “deew deew deew” voice of a shorebird I’d normally associate near the shoreline. The greater yellowlegs that we finally noticed was on top of a tall sitka spruce tree on a tiny island in the middle of the bay.

Another discovery was that of an old trail-head sign hidden in the trees. It is an old access route for hikers going to Lake McDonald, just a mile or so through a jungle of trees and mosses.

In the evening, we lift anchor and go on a mystical journey at a slow speed through the inlets adjacent to Yes Bay. The scenery is fabulous through Klu Bay and Shrimp Bay.

We see a sign of a forest fire that covered hundreds of acres. Many of us are a bit perplexed since the area receives around 12-feet of rain annually.

There are a few clear-cut logging operations in the area with some roads put in to landing areas on the coast. We enjoy looking at the waterfall coming out of Orchard Lake. I am able to point out a bear to a few passengers before it disappears into a small cove out-of-site from our decks.

These are the moments that are unexpected and thoroughly enjoyable on a cruise. We have nothing but curiosity and the capacity to be inspired…which helps when we are not in any hurry to get to our next destination.

In a week-long journey with InnerSea Discoveries in Southeast Alaska, we are not covering any huge distances, for example from Seattle to Skagway and back in 7 days. This means we have plenty of time for “expedition”-style cruising to discover what we might discover in the back coves of the Inside Passage of Alaska.

Saturday | May 21st

We are at the dock by 6:30 am this morning, helping carry luggage from and disembark our guests by 8:30 am.

So many happy faces and after two weeks of amazing scenery on our INAUGURAL VOYAGE, it is hard for crew and passengers to bid farewell. All crew form a line and shake hands with all of our beloved passengers from Seattle to Juneau (900 flight miles and 1300 nautical miles)

Our crew speedily loaded food stores for the next hour or so to get ready for the next run. I spend the next 5 hours "swabbing the decks" getting wet while bending, scrubbing, wiping, hosing and squeegee-ing bulkheads with brushes and hoses. Then hand-cleaning 50 pairs of rubber boots in an hour before having 30 minutes to run off and purchase and mail a gift for only one of the two birthdays and a wedding that take place in my family today. Have time for one phone call to loved ones today and one quick visit to the cabin to dress and be ready for the next group that gets onboard at 4:30. Whew!

I finished up with a kayak demonstration from 9:00 to 9:30 pm a to 8 guest passengers that will join me on a >10 mile paddle tomorrow morning at 7:30 a.m.

Spending the next hour gathering items I will need for my sea kayak guiding tomorrow:

* bear spray

* small bear resistant food canisters for lunches

* dromedary for carrying extra water

* dietary needs given to head chef for lunches

* machete

* toilet paper and handy wipes and zip lock bags

* Garmin GPS

* 1st aid kit

* Mugs and thermos for hot chocolate

* copy maps and route description on copier machine

* gather personal gear and put in dry bags

I think I will call it a day after 16 hours of hard work, this beautiful scenery makes it worth my while!