Thursday June 13th, Glacier Bay
We left Hoonah at 3:30 AM this morning. It was a quiet 3.5 hour cruise to Glacier Bay across Icy Strait. The water was like glass the entire trip. We called the park ranger at exactly 7:01 am to request a one day transit pass. We already have our five day pass starting the 14th, but by requesting this one day pass we could come into Bartlett Harbor, tie up on the dock, go through orientation, which is 90 minutes and then find a place in the harbor to anchor and be positioned to move further into the park tomorrow morning. We really enjoyed getting to spend some time in Bartlett Cove. We went on a nature trail walk with a park guide, and also spent time in the Tlingit Clan house, see below!
Bartlett Cove is a beautiful park with walks, a lodge and restaurant, and an incredible Clan House.
The two photos above are Tlingit clan carvings from the 1980s that have been preserved around the park.
Glacier Bay is the homeland of the Huna Tlingit people. They were driven from this land by an huge glacier that was moving in over what is now Bartlett cove at a rate of 300 miles an DAY! The Tlingit people were forced to move to what is now Hoonah, and after Statehood Glacier Bay was declared a National Monument and eventually a National Park. In a rare moment of reconciliation and cooperation the National Park Service and the Huna Tlingit Nation worked together to erect this beautiful tribal house that is now used by the Tinglit clans for ceremonies and celebrations. It tells the story of their ancestors and their land. Their message to us was one of feeling that we were WELCOME in this, their sacred place. Make sure you take in the movies explaining the history, the building, and the people.
Tomorrow—fingers crossed—sea lions, bears, whales, and of course, glaciers.