Aug. 17, Sea Wolf Adventure

Sat. Aug. 17, Haines, Alaska

Imagine you are bobbing gently at anchor in a deep turquoise bay.  Steep green hills rise from the sea, laced with rivers of ice.  Silvery salmon leap, tiny porpoises curl and dive, massive dark whales rise, graceful and mysterious.   A sea otter mom bobs on her back, grooming her tiny baby on her belly.             Beside the sunsparkled river a brown bear strolls to dinner, while raven watches.  Close your eyes and feel the soft forest breath on your skin.  Hear the mew of gulls, the cry of eagle.  A flock of murres take flight with their frantic eggbeater slap of wings on water.  A humpback exhales a deep and fishy sigh.

This is how we spent our afternoons on the Sea Wolf last week.  Our home for 6 days, we cruised through Glacier Bay National Park on the south coast of Alaska, mostly alone in the wilderness, amongst abundant wildlife in stunning scenery.  Sea Wolf is a 96 foot classic wooden yacht, beautifully appointed, and wonderful to cruise on.  We kayaked every day, close to floating icebergs and calving glaciers, along verdant estuaries alive with salmon, bears and birds, and past rocky islets inhabited by sea lions and puffins.  Humpback whales appeared daily, sometimes lazing quietly on the surface, sometimes erupting torpedo-like in a feeding frenzy.  

The bird life was incredible, but I reached the point where every rare and wonderful sighting became a slurry of marbled murrelet, harlequin duck, red necked phalarope, tufted puffin, etc. until I just called them all marble cheesecake.  My mind never being far from my stomach, the confusion was easily understood.  The cook on board kept coming up with fabulous meals - fresh baking, local crab, salmon and halibut, and amazing salads.  Despite the constant activity I find my pants a bit snug today!  

There were 12 passengers, mostly very nice, some a bit challenging.  Good time to practice my zen-like tolerance when conversations moved to free market economics and the American political landscape.  At least there was wine to smooth over some rather heated exchanges!  And the free thinkers amongst us scored a direct hit when we stripped off on a warm afternoon and dove into the icy sea at the end of a hike.  Several horrified faces greeted us as we waded ashore!  Americans can be very funny!

I'm writing this on the ferry to Skagway, the last of our Alaska stops, and the beginning of the famous Chilkoot Trail.  We'll follow the same route, though not so arduous in the camper, back to where our Klondike adventure began in Whitehorse, Yukon.  It's good to be back in our little turtle home, and we're happy to be on our own again.  Adventures await!

A wonderful museum in Haines - 8,000 hammers of all kinds.  Lots of fun.

Posted Aug 17 at Skagway Alaska.  Sorry - no photos again.  The internet is too slow to cope.  Next time!



A lovely fish packing plant in Haines.  The process fish, crab, clams, etc, and it's all fresh and delish!

Momma and baby grizzly on the Chilkoot River in Haines.  The fishermen have just reluctantly ceded their positions along the bank as she made her way downstream fishing.

The ferry trip to Juneau was beautiful, through a long fiord lined with steep mountains and glaciers.

In Juneau we found this 1912 pipe organ, transplanted from an early theatre into the state legislative building.  There was a concert during the lunch hour so we stayed for the performance.  Phantom of the Opera at its best!

Our cruise left from the tiny hamlet of Gustavus, just outside Glacier Bay National Park.  This is their original and still only gas pump!

Our home for 6 days, the Sea Wolf.  Wooden boats are so beautiful.

Our cabin - beautifully appointed and cozy.  Many of the fittings are original from the 1940s.

Kayaking in front of a glacier.  So many I can't recall their names, each a bit different and some actively calving.  This one had a couple huge thunderous collapses while we watched.  The sea was littered with big and little bergie bits - very fun to kayak through.

Calm seas, sunny skies, beautiful scenery.  Wow!

Hiking amongst the bergs.  This glacier has formed a landlocked lake in front so the bergie bits stay put until pushed out at high tide.  Some are as big as apartment buildings, towering above the beach.  Not to be taken lightly!

Some have amazing shapes, weird indentations, and fancy curlicews.

Cruising past sea lion rocks.  The smell and the noise was hilarious.

The geology of the park is fantastic.  It's all about glaciation - the entire park, right out to the mouth of Glacier Bay was filled with ice when Captain Vancouver sailed past in 1796.  In 200 years the ice has retreated 65 miles, leaving behind moraines, alluvial fans, and these massive erratic boulders.

Hiking with grizzlies!  Bigger than a frizzbie but with claws.

Our last morning - misty with whales.

Flying back to Juneau in a Cessna 206.  It was held together with masking tape, which I suspect is a step down from duct tape.  Only a little anxiety provoking!  Luckily the scenery was spectacular.  Juneau is not very big, despite being the capital of Alaska, and is dwarfed by the Mendenhall Glacier above it.  Pretty nice setting!