Friday | July 8

“One of the great dreams of man must be to find someplace between the extremes of civilization and nature where it is possible to live without regret.” --Barry Lopez

We motor into Walker Cove and immediately the kayaks are dropped into the water for an early-morning, one-way kayak up into the tranquil fiord.

This is as close to a “Yosemite Valley” as you can get, with domes, waterfalls and exfoliated rocks.

I lead half of the kayakers on the east side of the cove beneath the seemingly endless cliffs that drop directly into the deep fiord. We pass many waterfalls and are amazed by trees growing out of the sheer rock faces

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We enjoy watching an eagle as it preens itself above us. A belly feather slowly descends toward the water. I spin my single Necky kayak to go and catch it, then change my mind and just watch it slowly drop on heavy air toward the sea surface. It reminds me of the ending scene in the movie Forrest Gump, where a feather lifts up out of a book above a school bus and sails to some unknown destination.

Our hard work is rewarded as a brown bear awaits us at the end of our kayak sojourn. at the mouth of a small river.

The old-growth forest here in Misty Fiords National Monument is impressive, with 250-foot tall spruce and hemlock that tower above the estuarine ecosystem.

I had to admit that this looks like the same brown bear that we’ve seen before and that it deserves a big fish dinner from us for showing up again and again during our twice a month visits.

Some folks that had to run to the ship for a visit to the heads came back out and enjoyed watching the bear dig and eat clams in the mudflats.

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