Gifts from Alaska

Gifts from Alaska

 

Rainbow with Humpback
I turned 57 years old on our second trip of the season, and this voyage felt as if it arrived carrying one gift after another. 

Not only did we have wonderful guests — curious, engaged, and excited to experience Southeast Alaska — but every single day seemed to offer something unexpected and memorable. 

This was an eight-day journey that took us from Petersburg to Juneau, with a stop at the Pack Creek Bear Viewing Area along the way. Shortly after getting underway, we stopped near a buoy crowded with Steller sea lions barking and jostling for space. Later that evening, while making our way toward our anchorage, a rainbow appeared and seemed to travel with us for hours. Humpback whales surfaced nearby as if to welcome us back into the season.

The second day of the trip was my birthday. I spent it exploring an ancient forest with our guests, beachcombing, and watching more whales. But for me, the most meaningful part of the day was much quieter.

At one point, I sat at the base of a tree with my fingertips lightly touching the moss beside me. The forest held all of us in stillness. Even the oystercatchers — who earlier had been filling the shoreline with their whistling calls — had gone silent. Any time spent in the forest feels special, but a birthday forest bath felt like an extraordinary gift. 

Scene from Sitting in an Ancient Forest
The following day we visited Pack Creek, where we were able to watch wild coastal brown bears living entirely on their own terms. One highlight was observing a mother bear sleeping peacefully on a hillside while her two cubs stayed nearby. 

Sleeping Mom with two year old Cubs at Pack Creek
Later, we witnessed something none of us expected: a game I jokingly named “Bear and Mink.” 

A young sub-adult bear had been clamming at the far end of the beach when it discovered a mink, and suddenly a chase began. It reminded me of one of my cats chasing a mouse — there seemed to be more fascination in the pursuit than the capture itself. A few times the bear actually caught the mink, only to let it go again. At one point, the mink ran directly toward our group before veering into the forest with the bear racing after it. A minute or two later, the bear emerged alone. I believe the mink survived, though it appeared to have lost part of its tail in the process. 

Game of Bear and Mink
Pack Creek also gave us one of those beautiful Southeast Alaska walks where rain, wind, and low clouds made the forest come alive. We paused often to admire mosses, plants, and old trees while the mist drifted through the woods in a way that made the forest appear to breathe.

By the time glacier day arrived, I already felt as if the trip had offered more highlights than we deserved. But Dawes Glacier had more in store for us.

The fjord leading to the glacier was mostly clear of ice, allowing us to travel in close. While we watched, the glacier treated us to repeated calving displays, and three separate times enormous “shooters” of ice burst upward from deep underwater — sudden towers of ice rising to the surface with incredible force. 

Approaching Dawes Glacier
On our eighth and final day, as we motored toward Juneau, Dall’s porpoises raced alongside the bow of the David B while a humpback whale breached repeatedly nearby, as if offering one final farewell. 

These last eight days reminded me again how beautiful, wild, and abundant Southeast Alaska truly is. It is a place that has given me more gifts than I can count — beauty, reflection, friendship, and a continual reminder to slow down and notice. 

As I settle into a new year of life, I find myself thinking often about how much we need more forest time, more ocean time, and more quiet time — with ourselves, with nature, and with one another.

Sincerely,

Christine
Owner – Chef & Naturalist

P. S. If you are inspired to join us, just contact Sarah. You can see our current 2027 and 2028 schedules here: https://northwestnavigation.com/schedule-and-rates

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