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Thursday | June 23

YES BAY

“INTO THE SUBLIME”

Rainy day in the upper reaches of Yes Bay. In the morning, I lead a rainforest walk described as a “fast, technical hike”. We land at the dock of the Yes Bay Lodge, a comfortable fishing lodge with beautiful cabins overlooking the bay and Wolverine River.

We follow the river about 1.5 miles up to McDonald Lake where a forest service cabin lies on a tiny island. All of us are sopping wet from the overhanging vegetation and have mud covering our shoes, but we are happy to be in the verdant riparian corridor.

The trail is actually quite technical with lots of slippery roots and rocks, turns and short climbs up and down along the river.

 

We finally arrive at Lake McDonald and meet some folks renting the Forest Service cabin. They travelled from the draught-ridden state of Texas. They love the verdant countryside and the excellent fishing opportunities. We also meet a couple of forest service rangers that have orange inflatable kayaks for patrolling the shoreline.

On our way back, we pass a couple of fly fisherman and later at the dock, see deep-sea fisherman returning with King Salmon, lingcod, greenling, rockfish and halibut. Many guests at the lodge do catch and release, but several pay the significant cost of shipping ($250, minimum) the fish home.

 

In the afternoon, I lead four guests on a quiet kayak up the fiord. The only sound is paddle strokes, the occasional cry of an eagle or call of a thrush. The water is as smooth as glass, except for the tiny concentric circles that emanate from the light, falling rain. This is as close as one can get to perfection…for entering into the sublime—the heart of the Wilderness.

 

Late in the evening, we send off more than a half dozen double kayaks and 4 stand-up paddleboarders for an after-dinner paddle. The steady drizzle did not deter anyone today, nor did it dampen the spirit of the gung-ho snorkelers. The twin hot tubs on the back of the 300 deck were in full use throughout the day and evening.