Sitka was next on our itinerary.  Burk and I decided to spend the morning hiking the lush Tongass National Rainforest.  Bridges took us across streams teaming with wild salmon and bald eagles were as common as blue jays in Texas.  It was August and the weather was heavenly.  Neither hot nor cold; it was sheer joy in which to be out and about.  There was a quiet hush as we walked along.  The trees were so high they blocked out the sun, enhancing the heady smell of rich, dank earth underneath our feet.  Afterward we went inside the famous Russian Orthodox Cathedral of St. Michael the Archangel.  We were not allowed to take pictures and I just remember this little altar boy on a ladder polishing all the gold that encased the inside.  Of far more meaning to me was a tiny Episcopal church I discovered called Saint Peter’s-By-The-Sea.  No one was there except a woman cleaning who stopped her work and genuinely welcomed us in to pray, look around, and take pictures.  I confess it made me proud to be Episcopalian.  It was a busy day as we had also booked a wildlife quest.  A little boat took us where the river met the sea and we actually saw some sea otters holding hands and whales frolicking — albeit from a fair distance so as not to disturb them.  The whales made a bigger splash (no pun intended) but I loved the quiet gentleness of the sea otters.  Like my beloved wolves, they are a keystone species and vital to the environment.  Plus they are otterly adorable!  😉

“Nature is not a place to visit.  It is home.” ~ Gary Snyder, American Pulitzer Prize winner and environmental activist