We had an action-packed day in the charming town of Wrangell, Alaska. After a deliciously hearty breakfast we set off in several directions for the many different activities on the schedule for day.
We went to Chief Shakes’ house for cultural interpretation and heard beautiful stories of the Tlingit indigenous people’s history and mythology. We walked through the forest to the top of Mt. Dewey. Some of us walked to Petroglyph Beach to look for ancient relics of the past. Some opted to simply wander around the charming town of Wrangell, to shop for the renowned Wrangell garnets, which only the kids of Wrangell are permitted to collect and sell.
We took tours in jet boats up the Stikine River to view the Shakes Glacier. Just riding in the specialized jet boats was an experience. They are the perfect vessels for navigating the very often super shallow waters of the Stikine River. When up on a plane their draft is only 6 inches! We passed harbor seals resting on sandbars, regal bald eagles, and icebergs on the way to the face of the tidewater glacier.
Some of our group elected to do a full day tour at the Anon Wildlife Observatory Site. Here they had the pleasure of viewing both black and brown bears from a viewing platform. They were also able to go down to a blind for an up-close view just above the bears as they hunted for salmon in a stream. What a special opportunity!
The day ended with our famous Dungeness crab feast and then some after dinner natural history trivia with our naturalist, Frankie. It was the perfect ending to a great day in Alaska.
