Sitka and Peril Strait
When we appeared on deck this morning, we found a clear, sunny day waiting for us. The Sea Lion was sailing southwards on Neva Strait, with Sitka up ahead, and Mount Edgecumbe dominating the western skyline. This symmetrically shaped mountain is a dormant volcano; its sharply contrasted dark and light ridged appearance being the result of erosion gullies and lava flows, with remnants of snow forming the white streaks. Tlingit stories about eruptions of this mountain indicate that it has been active in the past ten thousand years, but it has been singularly silent since the arrival of the first European travelers. The town of Sitka is a vibrant fishing port, as the harbor full of well maintained fishing vessels indicates, but it is also a center for government and educational institutions, and more recently it has become a major destination for cruise ships. We were keen to explore this delightful town, and visit a few of its more interesting tourist destinations.
A bus tour was provided for those who wanted to see several sites, including the out-of-town Raptor Rehabilitation Center, but in view of the excellent weather, others preferred just to walk around Sitka, and visit some of the destinations not on the bus tour's itinerary, such as the Russian Bishop's House and the Sheldon Jackson Museum. Whether on the tour or not, practically everyone made a stop at St. Michael's Russian Orthodox Cathedral, which is a replica of the original building of 1848, which was destroyed by fire in 1966. Fortunately, most of the original artwork and religious icons were saved, and now grace the interior of the new building. The collection of paintings, icons and religious artifacts is unique for North America in having so many pieces of this genre, dating back to the 18th-Century or before. Unfortunately, little seems to be known about the provenance of the art. Mrs. Zabinko, the wife of the archpriest, gave a run-through of the history of the cathedral, and of the current status of the Russian Orthodox Church in Alaska. When one is presented with the history of an old building one is actually standing in, this history tends to come alive in one's imagination. It was exciting to try to visualize this church in the mid 19th-Century, on a dark, December Sunday, filled with worshipping Russians, who were many months' travel away from home, and recently converted natives, who were dealing with the trauma of a rapidly changing world.
This morning, when we sailed into Sitka harbor, we were greeted by a large number of bald eagles, some sitting in a row on the main breakwater, others wheeling overhead, or perching on beacons, masts, rooftops, and other high objects. In fact, Sitka has such a large eagle population, that it could be considered the eagle capital of Alaska. It is, therefore, appropriate that the Alaskan Raptor Rehabilitation Center is located in the outskirts of this town. The mission of this center is to educate people about raptors, and to rescue and return injured raptors into the wild. If after rescue and medical care it becomes obvious that a bird will never be well enough to be released, the Center may either keep the bird in captivity for educational purposes, or place it in another educational center. Our tour started in the auditorium, with a short introductory film, followed by a brief presentation on the biology of raptors in general, and eagles in particular. The speaker stressed such aspects as the incredibly sharp eyesight, and highly efficient talons of these birds. Then, a handler brought Volta in. Volta is a fully mature bald eagle, in great condition, but unfortunately, his injury left him incapable of flight. He is now one of the best educational extras one can imagine. Close up, on the arm of its handler, this eagle takes on its full magnificence; what an incredible bird!
Our stop at the Sitka National Historical Park and Visitor's Center provided us with another aspect of Alaskan culture. This complex is beautifully situated near the shore, with a view of scattered islands, inlets and the ocean beyond. The Visitor's Center contains a small, but very fine museum, focusing on Tlingit art objects. Attracting more of our attention, however, was the Cultural Center. In this part of the building, three native artisans were working in their workshops. One was weaving a small raven design blanket, using New Zealand wool rather than the virtually unobtainable mountain goat wool that would have been used in pre-contact days. Another was carving a bow out of wild crabapple wood, while a silversmith was working on a precious piece of jewelry. Seeing highly skilled artists doing their work is always a riveting experience. The totem park behind the Center provides a very pleasant walk through a mature stand of hemlock trees, with a trail past a river and parts of the shoreline. Several totem poles have been erected along this trail. Most of these poles are fairly recent replicas of older, deteriorating poles, and the quality of the carving is somewhat inconsistent. However, the walk gave us an opportunity to dwell on the symbolism of the carved images.
Shortly after lunch the Sea Lion got under way, and sailed northwards into Neva Strait, and an hour later, under gathering dark clouds turned eastwards into the swirling currents of Peril Strait on its way to tomorrow's destination: Glacier Bay.
When we appeared on deck this morning, we found a clear, sunny day waiting for us. The Sea Lion was sailing southwards on Neva Strait, with Sitka up ahead, and Mount Edgecumbe dominating the western skyline. This symmetrically shaped mountain is a dormant volcano; its sharply contrasted dark and light ridged appearance being the result of erosion gullies and lava flows, with remnants of snow forming the white streaks. Tlingit stories about eruptions of this mountain indicate that it has been active in the past ten thousand years, but it has been singularly silent since the arrival of the first European travelers. The town of Sitka is a vibrant fishing port, as the harbor full of well maintained fishing vessels indicates, but it is also a center for government and educational institutions, and more recently it has become a major destination for cruise ships. We were keen to explore this delightful town, and visit a few of its more interesting tourist destinations.
A bus tour was provided for those who wanted to see several sites, including the out-of-town Raptor Rehabilitation Center, but in view of the excellent weather, others preferred just to walk around Sitka, and visit some of the destinations not on the bus tour's itinerary, such as the Russian Bishop's House and the Sheldon Jackson Museum. Whether on the tour or not, practically everyone made a stop at St. Michael's Russian Orthodox Cathedral, which is a replica of the original building of 1848, which was destroyed by fire in 1966. Fortunately, most of the original artwork and religious icons were saved, and now grace the interior of the new building. The collection of paintings, icons and religious artifacts is unique for North America in having so many pieces of this genre, dating back to the 18th-Century or before. Unfortunately, little seems to be known about the provenance of the art. Mrs. Zabinko, the wife of the archpriest, gave a run-through of the history of the cathedral, and of the current status of the Russian Orthodox Church in Alaska. When one is presented with the history of an old building one is actually standing in, this history tends to come alive in one's imagination. It was exciting to try to visualize this church in the mid 19th-Century, on a dark, December Sunday, filled with worshipping Russians, who were many months' travel away from home, and recently converted natives, who were dealing with the trauma of a rapidly changing world.
This morning, when we sailed into Sitka harbor, we were greeted by a large number of bald eagles, some sitting in a row on the main breakwater, others wheeling overhead, or perching on beacons, masts, rooftops, and other high objects. In fact, Sitka has such a large eagle population, that it could be considered the eagle capital of Alaska. It is, therefore, appropriate that the Alaskan Raptor Rehabilitation Center is located in the outskirts of this town. The mission of this center is to educate people about raptors, and to rescue and return injured raptors into the wild. If after rescue and medical care it becomes obvious that a bird will never be well enough to be released, the Center may either keep the bird in captivity for educational purposes, or place it in another educational center. Our tour started in the auditorium, with a short introductory film, followed by a brief presentation on the biology of raptors in general, and eagles in particular. The speaker stressed such aspects as the incredibly sharp eyesight, and highly efficient talons of these birds. Then, a handler brought Volta in. Volta is a fully mature bald eagle, in great condition, but unfortunately, his injury left him incapable of flight. He is now one of the best educational extras one can imagine. Close up, on the arm of its handler, this eagle takes on its full magnificence; what an incredible bird!
Our stop at the Sitka National Historical Park and Visitor's Center provided us with another aspect of Alaskan culture. This complex is beautifully situated near the shore, with a view of scattered islands, inlets and the ocean beyond. The Visitor's Center contains a small, but very fine museum, focusing on Tlingit art objects. Attracting more of our attention, however, was the Cultural Center. In this part of the building, three native artisans were working in their workshops. One was weaving a small raven design blanket, using New Zealand wool rather than the virtually unobtainable mountain goat wool that would have been used in pre-contact days. Another was carving a bow out of wild crabapple wood, while a silversmith was working on a precious piece of jewelry. Seeing highly skilled artists doing their work is always a riveting experience. The totem park behind the Center provides a very pleasant walk through a mature stand of hemlock trees, with a trail past a river and parts of the shoreline. Several totem poles have been erected along this trail. Most of these poles are fairly recent replicas of older, deteriorating poles, and the quality of the carving is somewhat inconsistent. However, the walk gave us an opportunity to dwell on the symbolism of the carved images.
Shortly after lunch the Sea Lion got under way, and sailed northwards into Neva Strait, and an hour later, under gathering dark clouds turned eastwards into the swirling currents of Peril Strait on its way to tomorrow's destination: Glacier Bay.
