Glacier Gazing in Endicott Arm

June 15

Three years ago when we visited Endicott Arm, I wrote in my logbook --

“Not sure I’ve experienced any other day in my life filled with such vast, non-stop awe-inspiring beauty.”

Much in my life has changed since then. What's important. And what's not. But the experience in Endicott was a repeat WOW! The unintended dramatic stageset of nature will always touch me.

Endicott Arm is 23-mile fjord, which for us, cruising at 7 knots, takes more than 3 hours to reach its end. Assuming it’s not blocked by ice. Along the way, we amuse ourselves pointing out the many animals, objects and imaginary shapes in the ice.

 

We decided this one, with its reflection, looks like a giant fish.

Granite cliffs 4,800 feet high tower over us on each side, with fir and spruce trees climbing up from the waters edge, until it’s too high for trees to grow, and all you see are veils of waterfalls spraying down vertical craggy faces with sprigs of greenery trying to cling here and there in the unforgiving terrain.

If you have patience, Endicott Arm is a joy to cruise. At every twist and turn you are treated to a surprise. Like mother seals with their pups sunning themselves on floats of ice. We felt like we were intruding on their  nap time ... which in reality, we truly were.

Just when we wondered if we were ever going to reach the end of the arm, we made a turn and there in all of its glory was Dawes Glacier. It’s a huge face marked by two parallel dark tracks, as if a tractor just ran right over the glacier into the water.

We sat there for close to an hour, taking photos and soaking in its glory. In awe. There is something special about Alaska ... and Endicott Arm ... that always makes me feel closer to God.

Galley Views En Route to Endicott Arm

June 13-15

In Southeast Alaska you can drop anchor in a different anchorage every day for the rest of your life, and still have many lifetimes of anchorages to go.

En route from Petersburg to Endicott Arm we travelled more than 100 miles spread over two days, the first day anchoring at Read Island around 2 p.m. in water as smooth as glass. Roland and Scott dropped prawn and crab traps and we enjoyed a ride around the bay in the tender.

The shoreline was dotted with beautiful wild flowers,  spruce trees rooted on top of fallen logs, and plant and sea life of all sorts gripping to rocks rising from the water.

Later back on the boat Roland caught this stunning shot of a pair of eagles ... in apparent disagreement, perhaps over whose turn it is to go out and catch dinner ... vaguely reminding me of our own domestic quarrels.

 The next day, after pulling up empty traps, we headed back into Frederick Sound and under glorious sunny warm weather we were treated to an afternoon cruise of whale-watching. Sadly, or shall I say TRAGICALLY, I lost all of my photos of the whales in Lightroom, a photo software program that continues to confound me. But luckily, another boat ... Russ & Toni in Traveler ... caught one of our whale encounters on video and generously edited it to music and shared it with us (posted in previous blog entry): 

Whale tails in Frederick Sound ... on video

We passed the Five Fingers Lighthouse (marking five small islands in a row like fingers on a hand) which oddly looks more like a church than a lighthouse and 17 miles later dropped anchor in Windham Bay, traveling through narrows that open into an upper bay with a vista spanning glacial covered mountains.

After a full day of cruising it was time to make dinner. Out on the water, I spend a lot of time in the galley. There are no restaurants or take out orders ... so breakfast, lunch and dinner all come from the galley, along with clean up. I guess some would consider that a lot of work, but with an ever-changing view from my galley windows ... this boat gives new meaning to The Joy of Cooking.

Bear Watching in Ideal Cove ... Simply Ideal!

June 11, 12

If you spend enough time cruising the Inside Passage, you will experience a never-ending panorama of bays, coves, points and fjords, with names like Danger Passage, Crab Bay, Hidden Inlet, Fords Terror, or Poison Cove. And you quickly realize there is strong intent to these monikers.

            

Such was the case with Ideal Cove, an idyllic secluded anchorage on Mitkof Island, with a breathtaking and larger than life view of the glacial mountains topping Le Conte Bay. Tucked back in a cove, it is separated by the shallow expanse of Dry Strait, and is a perfect place to drop anchor after a day of fighting thousands of pounds of ice, in an unsuccessful effort to see the face of Le Conte Glacier.

            We took advantage of another day of great weather and dropped the dinghy in the water to explore the shorelines around the cove. Nature didn’t disappoint us. Just a mile or so outside our cove we caught sight of a large black bear, casually grazing the grassy shoreline, and Roland got these great shots as he sized us up as perhaps a better dinner than shore grass.

            Later in the evening, another boat came into the cove, interrupting our solitude. It was a hearty looking yellow exploration vessel, appropriately named Polar Bound; it looked like it could take on the world. And apparently it had. The next morning, when we chatted with the owner and crew as they were leaving the anchorage, we discovered it was built in England, and not only had made the Northwest Passage many times over, but also sailed in Antarctica. 

And lest you think the British have relaxed their proper formalities, take note, the owner of the boat was captaining his ship wearing a tie. I think Roland was still in his pajamas J

Whale Tails in Frederick Sound ... On Video

One of the beauties of boating is the amazing fellow boaters you meet along the way.

When we were anchored in Taku Harbor (a blog that is yet to come) we met a great couple from Florida, Casey and Mary, cruising on a boat that they literally trailered from Florida to Prince Rupert, British Columbia, Canada.

We ran into them again on the docks of Juneau, and they were quick to tell us about a video they saw of our boat in Frederick Sound, capturing an encounter we had with a number of whales. They took us up the docks to a lovely Ranger Tug called Traveler and introduced us to Russ and Toni, who shot the video.

We exchanged boat cards (which in the boating world is as important to have as a business card is in business) ... and lo and behold, Russ sent us this amazing video of Engelenbak, completely edited with music... shot from his boat. And THIS, ladies and gentleman, is why we love to cruise Alaska.

BTW, we did NOT run over the whale at the end of the video ... he seemingly just was playing with us, and waving good bye with his tale after passing. Whale tails....

Ice Art in Le Conte Bay

June 9, 10

Try as we may, we have never been able to make it to the face of Le Conte Glacier ... but our efforts to do so have treated us to a visual delight that well compensates for never actually seeing the Glacier.

Le Conte Glacier is the southernmost tidewater glacier in the U.S. It flows into Frederick Sound, about 15 miles southeast of Petersburg. Our cruising speed, on average, is about 7 knots, which means it takes us about 2 hours to make it to Le Conte from Petersburg.

Interestingly, Le Conte is equally close to Wrangell, but is separated by Dry Strait, a stretch of mud flats that can only be traversed by small craft at a high tide. With a 7-foot draft, Engelenbak would never make it. So we travelled there from Petersburg.

More importantly, we made two tries at Le Conte ... and both days, never made it to the face of the glacier.

They say the face of the glacier collapsed about 10 years ago, spewing tons of ice into the fjord, making it truly hazardous to get by boat. The glacier is stable today, but calves frequently, so we still have never seen its face.

Nonetheless, following is a selection of photos from more than at least 100 shot, with so many shapes and forms of ice floating around us, but I will begin with the end result.

Woohooo .... a Glacial Cosmo!

We have a tradition when visiting glaciers .... and that is to pull up a piece of glacial ice from the back swim platform, and break it up later in the evening when we are at anchor for "glacial" cocktails. Nothing tastes better than a cocktail poured over ice that is thousands of years old!

Lora And Scott on the fore deck, taking it all in.

The beginning of the ice jam, which eventually kept us from going further to the face of the glacier.

Saving the best for last ... this could easily be a glass sculpture ... simply stunning.

A Comfort Zone in Petersburg

Of all the ports we visited three years ago, Roland and I have to admit that Petersburg was one of our favorites. And we always seem to stay there a bit longer than planned .... but leave in better shape!

Beautiful reflections at dock in Petersburg south harbor. 

It’s a hard working fishing community. And in the harbor our boat is diminished by some of the fishing boats we dock next to.

Some call Petersburg the “Halibut Capital of Alaska,” and to fish halibut, you need a hardy boat.

But beyond the harbor lies a strikingly smart and lovely community that was founded by Norwegians. The gardens, architecture and even names of the residents reflect a heritage that was founded in the sea.

Walking up into to town, the first thing you pass is the Norwegian town hall, which serves as the center of all activities and ceremonies in town. There is a fishermans memorial next to the hall, marked by a bronze plaque with the names of every man, woman, and yes child, who was lost at sea from Petersburg. And sadly, there are many names on the plaque.

Even sadder, the day we were there, the Norwegian boat that usually fills the memorial park was pulled out, and chairs took its place ... along with a table and aisle holding a photo of a very young man... and memorial folders commemorating this valiant fisherman who was lost in duty at sea. A vivid reminder of the dangers so many of these fishermen we casually see next to us each day face when they leave the harbor and go to work ... it is a hard and dangerous life.

View leaving Petersburg on our way to Le Conte Glacier

For us, Petersburg has always served as a welcome port. And seemingly a place where some sort of repair always needs to take place. In 2010 it was an alternator bracket. This time, it was a propane sensor valve that we needed shipped in from Washington State. So we spent one night in Petersburg, ordered the part, and then left the next day to explore Le Conte Glacier and return when the part arrived.

Wrangell, the Alaskan Frontier Spirit

On the northern tip of Wrangell Island lies the small town of Wrangell. As the second non-Native settlement in Southeast Alaska, Wrangell expectedly has a rich history, most notably a spirit for reinvention that thrives today.

Walking into Wrangell looks like walking into a town from the wild west.

            In 1833, the Russians established a fort on what is now Wrangell Harbor and called it Redoubt Saint Dionysius. Their goal for the settlement was largely to stop the British from moving in and establishing a fur trade operation. But six years later, the settlement passed into British hands when the Russians leased it for a period of ten years to the Hudson’s Bay Company in exchange for 2,000 otter skins annually. Such a deal!

            The British renamed it Fort Stikine, given its close proximity to the Stikine River, and it quickly became a major trading post with the Tlingit Indians who lived along the delta and neighboring islands. The Tlingits exchanged furs for manufactured items, and were particularly fond of the thick wool Hudson’s Bay blankets.

Lora took a liking to local pirate.

Interestingly, we happen to have two of those blankets on board ... so if we run into any Tlingits we’re well prepared!

            When Alaska was sold to the U.S. in 1867, the area changed names a third time and became known as Fort Wrangell, and became an on-again off-again boom town for three different gold rushes in the area. After the gold rush, timber and canning became the primary industries in Wrangell. But the timber industry hit a major decline in the last decade, more than cutting Wrangell’s population in half, from more than 4,000 to around 1,700 today.

            Unlike other towns in Alaska, Wrangell is not so anxious to open its doors to the cruise ships, and resulting tourism. Instead, they are reinventing themselves again and building up a strong fishing and shipping industry, including an impressive city-owned shipyard.

            When we arrived at Heritage Harbor, just as we finished tying up lines we were treated to an up close and personal show by a number of mature and juvenile eagles next to us on the breakwall, enjoying treats left between the rocks thanks to a low tide.

           

We walked about a mile into town, enjoying sights along the way, including a walk through their Totem Park. The town itself is just what you would imagine if you think of the Alaskan frontier. Colorful store fonts line a wide open street down to the water where the Stikine Inn takes center stage, and serves perhaps the best halibut and chips I’ve ever tasted.