Hot Springs and Hoonah

Tuesday June 26 to Tuesday July 3

Sea Lions on Buoy

When we left Sitka, we planned to go on the outside of Chichagof Island up to Pelican Bay. However, the wind was strong and even in protected waters, the swell was uncomfortable. So we turned right. Stayed the afternoon in Schulze Cove waiting for slack to transit Sergius Narrows -- Sailing Directions and our guide book both say that Sergius is *dangerous* at anything but slack water. We took them seriously. Two others went before slack and we heard their shouts on the radio. Anchored in Baby Bear Inlet, another rocky entrance that didn't match the guidebook's description.

Tenakee Springs Bay and Marina

Spent the night at Hanus Bay before reaching Tenakee Springs, where we tied up at the dock. The hot springs and fishing are the basis of the village's economy. Population in 1988 was 120 and it can't be much more now. The "road" is about 6 feet wide. We didn't see any cars, only golf carts. We had to step off the road when a golf cart with a wide load came along. The town is a mixture of cute one-room cabins for out-of-town fishermen, derelict houses (one is for sale at $3500!), and well-kept houses. The school is on a hill and accessible with two storeys of stairs; it looks new, very spacious. The hot springs were originally used by workers at the two now-defunct canneries. We had chicken taco casserole at the Happy Party Bakery.

Tenakee Springs General Store		Tenakee Springs Bath House
Main Street, Tenakee Springs		Eagles and Gulls near Tenakee Springs

Urs and Marcel with their catch

 We anchored in Pavlov Bay (empty crab pot) before tying up at Hoonah, a small Tlingit village. Urs went fishing with a French Canadian. They came back with a nice catch of halibut. I spent the afternoon preparing the fish for smoking and freezing. The freezer is full again!

Cruise Ship at Hoonah Cannery

When a cruise ship came in, the cannery museum opened. It was an hour's walk from the marina. We stopped at the cemetery; the oldest grave was 1892. A bear carving marked a young woman's grave. The cannery was similar to the one in Steveston, BC; we focused on the differences in the Alaskan fishery. We went to the library at the local school. The sign on the door told us to report to the office immediately. But there were no lights on and no sign of an office. We finally found a sign to the library. Took the elevator to the second floor. Again no lights, just piled up chairs and an old computer. Finally, we found the library. It became obvious that about 4 of the computer users were Arabic! Would love to know how they got there.

King Crab Pots (probably 8' in diameter)		Hoonah Out House

Master Carver, Gordon Greenwald and Shawatseek

In Hoonah, we visited the native carving shed. The Glacier Bay National Park Service has commissioned carvings for a long house that will open in 2013. Three hundred years ago, the Tlingit lived in Glacier Bay and nearby inlets. Then the glaciers grew and destroyed their villages. The Tlingit in Hoonah moved from Lituya Bay. So their connection to Glacier Bay is strong. Gordon Greenwald, a retired school teacher, is the master carver of the project. He explained the meaning of the carvings on his large panel. The two clans raven and eagle are represented at opposite ends of the panel. Carved canoes with actual stone anchors and canoes with rope ties back to the panel represent the spirit of the people who lived in the old village. Some parts represent the tsunamis that destroyed villages.
Other parts represent the spirit of their ancestors; Gordon pointed out that superficially all the ancestors look the same but one had an extra stripe, one was concave, another convex, etc. In the middle was a woman, Shawatseek. She was the grandmother of Kaasteen, the girl who had fed the glacier and caused it to grow. When the people abandoned the village, they wanted to punish Kaasteen by leaving her behind. But the grandmother offered to stay in her place; Shawatseek is now revered by the people of Hoonah. At the top of the panel are carvings of people in canoes; these represent modern visitors to the park. As an extra treat, two of the carvers sang and danced for us. They were not in ceremonial regalia. One had a gold nose plate; the other a mask. Both used ceremonial rattles. At the end, they turned their backs to us; if it had been a real ceremony, we would have seen the decorated blankets they would be wearing and then we would be able to identify the individuals and their clans.

We got up one morning at 5:30 AM to phone Glacier Bay Park Service to request a permit. Only 25 boats are allowed in the Park at one time. Short-term permits are on a first-come first-served basis and are issued no more than 48 hours in advance. We got the permit!! Our friends Michael and Nancy from Vancouver made their airplane reservations. So we'll meet them on Tuesday at Bartlett Cove, the entrance to Glacier Bay! Quite an accomplishment!

Flynn Cove

Now we are in Flynn Cove. Chart shows two awash rocks, but they are actually islets. Quite confusing. Grizzly bear on the beach!