Magical Baranof Warm Springs

Today was a long day of motoring. After sailing around the pacific, this motoring is getting old FAST! After about 4 hours we stopped at shoal for lunch and dropped the crab trap. Hauled it up on our way out and it had two keepers- that’s a productive lunch break! We arrived in Baranoff around 2 pm and were lucky to snag a spot on the dock. Our stay there became as magical as promised. We headed for the natural hot spring first- and they are HOT! Fynn and I had a soak but it was too hot for her. A bit of exploring and we found a small pool of river water, conveniently beside a broken pipe that should have been transporting hot water to the houses on the beach. I was able to divert the pipe into the cold water and shortly it was warm enough to play in. Even Bowen got to go in!

For dinner we roasted sausages on the beach fire. That night after the kids were in bed I headed up to the tub at the bath house to soak in the tranquility of the long Alaskan nights, and reflect on how lucky we are to be here. Of course I also washed the laundry and marvelled at how easy it was with unlimited hot water.

The next morning the sun was shining. It was glorious. The temperature rose quickly and was soon in the 20s. Kolby used the unlimited water hose at the dock to wash the grime of travel off Asunto. She certainly looked proud of herself after that- we didn’t have the heart to tell her she was still pretty dirty… Adding Bowen to our travels has really made it hard to keep up with the cleaning. Anyway, Fynn and Bowen and I walked the boardwalk, devouring salmon berries. We even found some the size of golfballs! That afternoon we hiked to the lake were we met a nice family from Sitka. Fynn was so happy to play with the boys.

Today was Bowen’s bath day and he loved it. I filled the tub and we basically swam in the lukewarm water. He floated on his back and kicked on his tummy and went right under the water – no problem! That night the boaters mingled and swapped stories on the dock while the kids ran wild way past there bed time. The following morning it was hard to leave but leave we must- right after Fynn had a bath and got good and clean!