Somewhere the sun shines down on the unworthy — those so spoiled by a warm rich summer that they take blue skies and light for granted.  That place may be just over the border in Canada. Even trough my rain spotted glasses I can see a patch of pure blue North above the Juneau ice field.

Aki and have returned to this familiar trail through the old growth to tidelands. It’s harvest time in the woods where ripe fruit of red huckleberry and blueberry brush dangle toward the trail. Even the devil’s club sport inverted cones of bright red berries. Some of the thorny plants are turning autumn yellow. 

We reach the beach just as a raven chases a mature bald eagle from its roost. Job done the self satisfied raven settles in on a near by spruce limb and fills the air with croaks, trills, and disharmonic song.  While Aki searches an old campsite for leftovers, I look up Favorite Passage where tomorrow the MV LeConte will take a friend and I to Hoonah for the start of a week long kayak trip to Tenakee Springs.

I have hopes for the trip — that the rain will abate, we see untouched groves of the beautiful Yellow Cedar trees, the wind won’t work against the tides, and the brown bears will pass in the peace. I also hope that the tides and wind will carry away the stress of work and getting ready for such a trip.