Poor quality video but worthwile audio of rain falling on tent.
Day 2 started with a light and steady rain which forced us right into life in the temperate rain forest.
Glacier Bay National Park receives about 70 inches of precipitation annually. All of the 3.3 million acres that make up the national park are within Tongass National Forest which itself is 17 million acres. Most of the Tongass is temperate rain forest.
The morning was spent meeting Leah from Glacier Bay Sea Kayaks to receive our boating gear and itinerary overview followed by a back-country orientation with the National Park Service.
Bartlett Cove Campground food cache.
Once we prepared our gear and kayaks for 6 days in the back-country, we did a paddle in Bartlett Cove to get acquainted with our boats and to watch the Humpback Whales and Bald Eagles feeding.
Rainy day on Bartlett Cove with Humpbacks and Eagles.
The evening was spent in Gustavus running errands, chance reunions with old friends and enjoying a fascinating slide show presentation from Zach Brown on his kayaking journey from Stanford California to Gustavus, AK to benefit the founding of the Inian Islands Institute.
Grabbing a quick portrait during our tour of Mary Lou's yurt and new cabin.
Shoes off at the entrance to the Gustavus Library.
Zach Brown at the Gustavus library.
Bartlett Cove near Glacier Bay Lodge.
As the day was coming to an end, our kind friend Mary Lou drove us back to Bartlett Cove where there was a partial view of the Fairweather Mountians. We would not see these mountains again for next eight days due to the weather. Having watched countless sunsets from this spot but with a gap of a decade and a half, it was amazing to be in my northern home again.
Photography provided by Peter Paul Petretta unless otherwise noted.
