The rich rainforest of Southeast Alaska holds many surprises, and just as many ways in. One of them leads us from a lovely beach at Hanus Bay to Lake Eva, on Baranof Island. This is a 1.5-mile walk through old growth forest, where the dominant trees, festooned with moss and old-man's beard lichens, are hemlock and spruce. The understory is very diverse, consisting of blueberry and solmonberry bushes, small ground-living orchid plants, currants, and false lily-of-the-valley. The river that runs through it sports numerous salmon at this time of year, biding their time in the fresh water, before reaching the lake to spawn. Brown bear are very abundant in the forest, already feeding greedily on the spawning salmon.