When we left Tok, we knew we had begun the journey home. It was only 22 August, but we still had more of Alaska to see on the way south--only to get to these additional parts of Alaska, we needed to head back into Canada.
We headed for Haines, Alaska, stopping at a primitive campsite along the road.
The road took us on Canadian side of the Wrangell-St. Elias--their Kluane National Park--and thru a barren, lichen and moss covered pass above the tree line.
In Haines, we stayed at the Chilkoot Lake campground.
 |
| Lunch at our campsite |
 |
| View from our campsite of Chilkoot Lake |
Haines itself was a quaint little town and with only one cruise ship per week, it was a much quieter alternative to Skagway where there are 4-5 ships per day! Home to the Tlingit tribe, there are beautiful totems, other carvings and native arts.
The scenery, as in all of Alaska, was spectacular.
After exploring the town, we settled in to a daily ritual of watching the grizzly bears feed on salmon. Several different sows and their cubs would come down to the Chilkoot River in the morning and evenings to feed. It was an incredible experience to be just feet away from these magnificent creatures and we couldn't get enough of it! Since there aren't many tourists, the bear viewing is not very "controlled" as most of the locals "know better" than to mess with the bears. This experience was the Alaska I had dreamed about!
 |
| The exciting job of counting fish as they pass thru the fish weir. Not much excitement except when the bears come! |
No comments:
Post a Comment