Our friends Allen and Deb flew in from Portland for a few days of visiting and cruising. They are both busy with work & family in Portland, so we’re happy that they were able to get away to spend some time with us.
Deb and Allen’s float plane coming in for landing on a glassy calm morning
From Juneau, they hopped on a single engine float plane that dropped them off right next to the boat in Sore Finger Cove where we were anchored in Seymour Canal. From there, we spent the day heading up the inlet to Betwixti Anchorage just off of Pack Creek.
Angie and Deb scouting for bears
The Pack Creek Bear Observatory is jointly managed by the US Forest Service and Alaska Department of Fish and Game. When the salmon are running in the summer, the brown bears scamper up and down the banks of the creek trying to catch a protein-packed meal.
We were about a week early – the salmon haven’t made their way back in from the ocean yet. But we were lucky enough to see a mother clamming on the beach with her two cubs in tow. Our dinghy ride from the boat to the creek was interrupted by a pair of orcas slowly swimming across our path. We stopped the dinghy about 200 yards from them and stared in awe as they passed in front of us, moving silently except for the loud whoosh of each breath as they surfaced.
Pack Creek runs through a rain forest
We outsourced the crab pot check to our friends
