Chilkat River excursion

In keeping with my 2012 plan of staying close to the ground in Alaska , rather than 2011's first visit where we were on trains and helicopters and float planes, our Skagway excursion was centered on a river trip to hopefully see some eagles in their natural habitat. We would do this on the Chilkat River but we had to travel to the port of Haines to do this.

A high speed ferry boat would take us to Haines and from there a motor coach would continue the journey to the banks of the river where two boats awaited for our party. We were suitably wearing layers of clothing as we are not complete idiots but even this was not enough so extra warm clothing was provided at the boat station, as were gloves.

The most welcoming thing at the boat station was however a fire pit fueled by alder wood which burns slightly hotter than the sun and it was here that we were given long forks and hot dogs, so we could get some delicious hot food in our stomachs for the trip.

No one on Earth likes cooking outdoors more than I do.  Had there been tables and chairs outside I would have stayed by the fire to eat what was the best hotdog I have ever enjoyed even though there was no sauerkraut gracing it. The river was a few feet away but I could sense how frigid the waters were.

There was a structure with picnic tables to eat in and supplement the hot dogs with soup and potato chips and sundry snacks. Simple food shines when you are hungry. Very much appreciated!

Two boats and 26 people. The first was loaded to capacity (16 plus the Captain) which meant our boat only had 10 and we had a bench seat to ourselves ahead of the Captain. We would be on the water for 90 minutes, often going at speed and the faster we went the colder it became so we were glad of the extra survival clothing.

We didn't see a lot of eagles alas but we enjoyed the ride on the water, so far from our everyday world back in Chicago. And that phrase, in a nutshell, is why we enjoy cruising so much. It is beyond our everyday experience in every way.

I'll let the heavily edited videos tell the story.....