Captain Scott's Log ~ Tuesday, August 5th, 2008

Sent: Tuesday, August 05, 2008 6:58 PM
Subject: Umnak Pass

As I write this we are in the pass at sunset with only 90 miles to Dutch Harbor. After 10 days of continuous fog, the wet misty stuff lifted today. We had a sudden view of the snow capped volcanos on the "Islands of Four Mountains". Quite a view for our first landfall. Umnak is an 80 mile long island and we have run beside it most of the day. Its tallest volcano is more than 7000 feet high. But it’s the Okmok Caldera that blew its top 3 weeks ago. We have light ash on the deck but otherwise no evidence of activity. The caldera is 6 to 10 miles across. Great visibility is very cold air but patchy fog is reclaiming the night. Today we found and stopped at a sea lion colony on an offshore island. Lots of noise and bellows from the beach masters. Kelp has floated by us for the past day in massive patches. Some stems as long as the boat and as thick as my arm. The bird life is unbelievable. No bears yet. But its the dozens of volcanoes that rise into
the clouds that stir the imagination.