Mother Goose Leg 2, Day 3 - Yes Bay Lay Day

The sun rose into a cloudless blue sky over the beautiful Yes Bay this morning. Those members of the fleet who had decided to go fishing rose early as well, making their way over to the lodge to prepare for a day hunting the monsters of the deep. The rest of the fleet made a more relaxed morning of it, waiting until around 9:30 am to climb aboard Deception and head over to Bailey Bay for a hike to Shelokem Lake and the natural hot springs found there. It was a perfect morning to be cruising in Southeast Alaska. The sun was shining, the seas were glassy, the air was warm, and the scenery was spectacular. Bailey Bay lies just up Behm Canal from Yes Bay, and it took us only around 45 minutes to get there. Upon arriving, we anchored up and headed ashore to begin our hike.

Healthy, lush forest covered the landscape as we walked toward the lake. Dense undergrowth crowded around the trail, giving us the feeling we were walking through a living green tunnel. All around us were berry bushes: blueberries, salmonberries, thimbleberries, currants and more. Only a few of the berries were nearing ripeness, but in a few short weeks this whole area would be a bear heaven. As we continued onward, we began to hear the roar of rushing water. Our trail led us right across a wide, but shallow stream which tumbled down the hillside. Fortunately, we came prepared with rubber boots or water shoes. Carefully, we forded the stream and continued onward. We soon heard the roar of a much larger waterfall up ahead. As we emerged on the shore of Lake Shelokem, we found ourselves directly at the top of an enormous waterfall that cascaded down a steep rocky escarpment and eventually flowed down into the head of Bailey Bay. It was an incredible experience to stand at the top of the falls and breathe in the fresh air with a vast expanse of wilderness stretching out below us.

In Chinook jargon “Shelokem” means “looking glass” or “mirror.” We could certainly see how the lake earned its name, reflecting the rocky mountain peaks which rose up on all sides. The Alaska State Forest Service provides a canoe in which visitors can paddle across the lake to the hot springs, but it appeared that someone else had arrived before us and taken the boat. So, we continued on the trail along the shore of the lake. The terrain was much more difficult on this stretch, and the going was slow. The landscape was composed of huge granite boulders all jumbled on top of one another, with a forest grown on top. As a result, we found our trail passed through a number of small caves and overhangs. Before long, we saw two people and a dog paddling toward us in the canoe. The told us we were had about half a mile to go, but that the hot springs were hotter than usual and they hadn’t even been able to go in them. So, we sat down there on the edge of the lake and ate our lunch. We decided to turn around and make our way back down to Deception. We arrived on the beach about an hour and a half later, tired and happy. What an incredible day!

As the shore party was having its grand adventure, the fisherpeople were having a great day of their own. They returned to Yes Bay just as Deception was pulling in to anchor. Their prizes of the day: a 40 lb halibut, a 60 lb halibut, a 25 lb king salmon, a 30 lb king salmon and quite a few rockfish. Not bad for one day on the water! Everyone was worn out from a fun, adventure-filled day. We had set our crab pots before leaving for the day’s activities and we returned to find them loaded with enormous Dungeness crab. They were quickly cooked, cracked and distributed amongst the fleet. The rest of the afternoon and evening was spent relaxing in the sun, eating dinner and for most of us, retiring early.