Cruise West Alaska Tour - Misty Fjords National Park

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Cruise West Alaska Tour - 24/07/08 to 16/08/08

Misty Fjords National Park

The route took us overnight along Behm Canal to Rudyerd Bay in Misty Fjords National Park. Two Rangers had been picked up at about 5.30 am. We woke to the magnificent scenery of the fjord.

There was no glacier at the head of the fjord but the scenery was reflected in the still waters.

Pine trees grow on the steep rocky sides of the fjord but occasionally one falls and the interlocking roots pull the neighbouring trees down too. Alders are the first trees to regrow in the open space because they can fix nitrogen and make it possible for other trees to grow. The water here was 73 m deep.

The fjords still show some scrape marks from the glaciers. The glaciation was a small one but a previous one had covered the whole area and ground the mountain tops off. Edingstone Island was a volcanic plug that was pushed down by the weight of ice. It is still rising now that the ice has gone. It is a good place to camp because there are no bears there, but there was a white Harbor seal there.

After leaving Behm Canal we went to Metlakatla on Annette Island and were entertained by a competition winning dance group in the Long House. They performed traditional dances accompanied by drums. A little 19 month old girl stole the show. She new all the moves but was easily distracted after a few minutes. It was nice to see the mothers dancing with their babies in their arms. A 3 year old boy played a drum with the other drummers and kept the beat very well.

The Long House must face the sea and the paths were covered with loose cockle shells so that enemies could not sneak up to the house. In the lobby there was an award winning banner made by the students.

The journey to Petersburg was via Ketchikan because the captain considered the sea in Clarence Strait to be too rough.

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Comments

[anonymous]

Such fantastic experiences. You must be so glad you went the extra expense to do this!