We approached the small town of Haines and the Chilkat Peninsula in beautiful early morning light. The sun poked through the fog and lit up the tops of the mountains with a warm glow to welcome us to our home base for the day’s adventures. Throughout the sunny day, guests were busy with activities on land, on water, and in the air. From hiking to biking to fly fishing to flightseeing, everyone got to enjoy a taste of the incredible landscapes of Southeast Alaska. Visitors to the Klukwan Village learned about the local Chilkat Tlingit clan, their profound history, and stories of this area. We finished the day with a delicious crab feast and a colorful sunset. Thank you for a wonderful day, Haines!
5/22/2023
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National Geographic Sea Bird
Exploring Tracy Arm
It seems so sudden that we already are on our fourth full day cruising the intricate channels, straits, and fjords of Southeast Alaska. We began with an early morning crossing of the bar in Holkham Bay, not a local juke joint, but rather the end moraine at the mouth of the fjords, a pile of glacial till left by the massive glaciers which long ago carved the over deepened valleys comprising Tracy and Endicott Arms. Protected as a wilderness area in the Tongass National Forest, Tracy Arm is a fjord which carried us for miles into the Coast Range mountains, far closer to the Canadian border than we are to the open Pacific Ocean. The presence of a tidewater glacier was evident as we navigated through icebergs, bergey bits, and growlers—ice shed recently by the South Sawyer Glacier. Incredible landscapes were capped by incredible wildlife as we turned the day into evening while cruising down bay, back across the bar, and out into Stephens Passage. Such a quick trip over the last few days, but the fresh sights, wild landscapes, and abundant wildlife filled our time until late evening as we finally turned north towards our final port of call in Juneau. Our shared experience has brought us together as old and new friends, sharing the spirit of exploration and personal discovery.