Today's destination was the small Tlingit village of Hoonan at Icy Strait Point. This is a beautiful inlet that hosts a single cruise ship a day. There are no pier facilities for the ship here so it is necessary for the ship to hold position in the harbour and for all the guests who are going ashore to board a tender boat.

We had no idea what the "tender boat" was all about but lined up and down the centre staircase with 2 180 others waiting for our turn. Have to say it was a surprise...a little boat, with teeny tiny seats with 100 passengers squashed in knee to knee and cheek to cheek. And so low in the water. We only had to travel 10 minutes and were then delivered to the passenger gangway of Icy Strait.

There was a hub of buildings perched high above the water on mussel encrusted poles and seating stretched out along the passenger pier that gave a perfect view up the inlet. The tide was receding fast (25 foot today change here) but the surface of the inlet was so still and mirror smooth.

Within 10 minutes we were in for an enormous surprise. We were in the museum when we heard the bell on the dock ring. There was a stampede of cruisers who raced to the deck in response to the call of "whale."

Right at the dock, larger than life, larger than you would imagine was the open mouth of a feeding humpback whale. And it was oblivious of the newly arriving tender boats. It was circling under water making a swirl of bubbles that captured its small krill and then it would rise though the bubbles, mouth open and kerr-rump its oversized mouth and strain its catch. It was just there!

No need to go out on a charter boat. Three separate whales visited Icy Point Bay during the day, herding their catch of krill into a bubbling circle then opening their huge jaw to suck in the food and strain it through the long spaghetti mass of baleen.

Imagine living in a place where you would look out your window and see this! I guess you need to balance this with days when you couldn't look out of your window because your house was covered in 40 foot of snow.

Unfortunately, we did need to leave the harbour and board our bus for the tour. Our tour was to the Spasski River and we were hosted by a local Tlingit Guide. All land and industry in this "reservation" is owned and managed by the indigenous people. A community of 750 who care for each other and show a deep respect for the land and what it has to offer.

Our guide, Mannie, was a grandmother and her face was smooth and line free, her long black hair was shinning and thick - I would have guessed she was in her early thirties. Guess not.

I loved the stories of school. No such thing as snow days here. Cold temperatures and deep drifts of snow are the norm so the children are expected to turn up "no matter what." The local school is a champion school in the state for robotics and their children travel to compete along with the basketball and volleyball teams. The College education of the children is funded by the Village.....and we heard a number of tines that "it takes a village to raise a child."

The children learn English and Tlingit in school and the younger children are responsible for a resurgence in both the native language and their culture and host "potlatches" for neighbouring schools.

Then Mannie told us about the ocean and its bounty, shared some insights about harvesting from the land as well as cultural insights. Again particularly around the sense of belonging, the support for community and the importance of family and heritage. It was compelling listening.

The next big surprise came when the bus pulled up just over the bridge of the Spasski River. We were invited to use the toilet (green portable number) before we headed into the muskeg. Mac and I noticed that standing outside the loo was a Tlingit man with a rifle menacingly slung over his shoulder.

Yep, a loaded rifle in fact. I asked the driver what this was about and he informed us this was our "Bear Marshall" George. R....i......ght. That changed the tone of the blurb that read "your guide will lead you on the trail of the bear." Hadn't realised this was a hunting trip!

Anyway, we did the first part of the wilderness walk through the muskeg...low wetland filled with quicksand like sinkholes. A simple to traverse boardwalk got us safely across and back for coastal views and a perfect vantage point to watch the nesting bald headed eagles and listen to their beautiful songs.

We noticed a bit of increased "guide chatter" and communication on the walkie talkies. Apparently, there was a grizzly following in our footsteps across the muskeg heading our way. The grizzly was criss crossing our path and given they have a sense of smell seven times more sensitive than a dog's...I guess he knew where we were. So that was the end of the leisurely boardwalk stroll with stops on the viewing platforms. George had pulled the plug and we made an intentionally noisy retreat back to he road and the bus. The only grizzly we saw was the wooden carved one in the bushes (scared the s$@t out of me!) I was begging to get back in the bus as Mannie informed us they didn't want to take any chances because the grizzly can run as fast as 35 miles per hour. My question: why are we still standing on the roadside waiting for a glimpse of him as he emerges from the forest? Why can't we get back in the bus?

Eventually we did...with no increase to our bear sighting count or to the Hoonan bear fatalities count! I don't know whether to be happy we didn't encounter the grizzly on the road or not!

The Crab Station was our next stop for a finger licking good dive into the king crab. Lots of crab, but never enough! I was back to old style searching for every morsel in the claws and was advantaged in the "every man for himself" crab cracking because Mac had to be slow and steady to avoid lacerations to his fingers (very smiley face here from me!) Our eating rhythm was only broken by the ring of the bell to signal another feeding humpback had arrived at the dock.

The afternoon was filled with more whale watching (ho hum....happens all the time now) and the Cultural Show. The cultural show was so well put together with lots of audience participation in joining clans and tribes, dancing and chanting and being drawn into the traditional stories of the raven and the bear....very entertaining.

We were on the last tender back to ship accompanied by seals circling in the water for a front row seat on our balcony for the last viewing of the goodbye whale. He popped up just as we were sailing away.

Of course, the night always rounded out with a perfect dinner at the Italian Restaurant, La Cucina (two starters for me, no main! The works and my leftovers for Mac! Perfect) and a comedy show (clever but not as funny as the first comedian.)

What an extraordinary day!

Wednesday
Temperature: 9C
Pedometer: 5 901
Bear Sightings = 0

Total Bear Sightings = 12


Things @AuntyGail and @Paul forgot to tell us about cruising:

1. Tender boats are crowded.

2. Tender boats are close to the water line.

3. Tender boats add 30 minutes to disembarkation.

4. Always pack toe nail clippers.

5. If George (or any tour director) needs a gun, choose another tour.