"Which is it: every time there's a rainbow a unicorn is born or every time a unicorn is born there's a rainbow?" --Jasmine Rebadavia
We began the day back on Perevalnie Beach. We worked in two groups: one hiked to an adjacent beach (through a beautiful forest), while the other stayed closer to the original beach. We found items similar to those we found yesterday -- including a second hypodermic needle, as well as more floats and plastic bottles -- and we finished in that location by mid-morning. After our work on the beach, we headed back to the Island C and loaded the debris into the holds. We also loaded the four kayaks into the two skiffs and then the skiffs onto the upper deck of the boat; it's impressive how efficiently we make use of the deck space, as the Island C is carrying all of us, our gear, and six smaller boats.
Around noon, we brought up the anchor and made a 90-minute transit to Carry Inlet. The weather was cool and misty, so we stayed inside for the transit and amused ourselves with the Movie Game. When we arrived at the inlet, we brought the skiffs and kayaks back down and split into groups for the afternoon. Yesterday's hikers were today's kayakers and vice versa, and today's scenery was just as spectacular. The paddlers enjoyed a long, relaxing voyage. They stopped at Red Buoy Beach, which was cleaned last year by ITN, and found it to be in good condition. Moving on, they made their way to Skiff Passage, where they had to wait for the tide to bring higher water in order to make it through the passage. After an hour or so -- of sunshine on the beach! -- they paddled on to Middle Lake, where they portaged their boats back to the edge of Carry Inlet. From there, it was just a few minutes back to the Island C. The hikers made their way through another plush, mossy forest and hiked around three lakes. The wildlife was abundant again, as they saw ringnecks, loons, black oyster catchers, and cormorants; they also saw a beaver, several otters, and two porpoises.
After dinner, Rich presented some information on the birds of Kodiak Archipelago. There's an incredible variety of birds here, some of which travel between Hawaii and Alaska with the changes in the season. Several interns took their first sea shower today -- get wet, turn water off, lather up, turn water back on, rinse -- and we turned in for the night. Click below for today's photos.
Lilypads in Alaska??? Who would have thought. I think traveling between Hawaii and Alaska sounds like heaven.
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