Saint Matthew Island, July 6

Fewer people visit Saint Matthew Island every year than climb Mount Everest! We’re in an elite group.

Saint Matthew Island in the Bering Sea has never been inhabited by humans, at least not for any extended period. A Russian expedition landed here in the early nineteenth century and named some geographical features. During WWII the U.S. Coast Guard set up a manned LORAN station and moved a couple dozen reindeer here to provide food. The reindeer population eventually grew to 6000, but there was a great die-off in 1963 due to extreme winter weather and lack of food. The last reindeer died in 1981. The geology is not the same as on Saint Paul Island, consisting of Cretaceous and early Cenozoic calc-alkaline volcanic and volcaniclastic rocks.

The ship anchored near the north end of the island

We never imagined walking along a beautiful beach on a perfect sunny day in the middle of the Bering Sea. The crew exclaimed how rare this day was — none had been here when it was this sunny. We were too warm in our Arctic gear, but no one complained. How could we?

We learned from our guide Lancy, an ornithologist, that we might see two rare birds on this island, a sandpiper and a bunting. We saw both!