Skagway

When we arrived on the ship, we found out our arrival in Skagway would be delayed past the time our Eagle Preserve excursion was supposed to start so we had to book another adventure.  The closest we could come to that one was a canoe adventure to Davidson Glacier.  We left Skagway aboard a large Catamaran which can reach speeds of 50 mph on open seas for the 40 minute ride to the glacier.  It was bumpy but a lot of fun. 

Upon our arrival, the Catamaran beached itself on the shore and we were helped off with the aid of a ramp and 2 very nice young men.  We took a short hike on the beach and then up and over a hill through the forest to where they had all of the equipment for the canoe adventure stored.  We were given life jackets and rubber boots and our shoes were stored in a safe, dry place until we returned.

We got a quick lesson on what to do and what not to do if we should encounter a bear (most importantly - DO NOT RUN) and then we were off for a 1/2 mile hike down a very muddy, rugged path to the canoes.  Upon reaching the beach, the 29 of us were separated into 3 groups and sent out in a 30' long canoe with a guide.  Dennis and I were the last to board and lucky for us, we sat in the back right in front of the guide so we could hear what he was saying very well.

We paddled for about 20 minutes before he started a small outboard motor for the remainder of the voyage up the river and into the lake.  Thankfully, it was very overcast but there was no rain while we were out on the water.

We puttered around the lake coming within 50 feet or so of the face of the glacier.  We also came along side a large chunk of ice which had 'corked' up about 5 days earlier.  On one side, it looked like a whale but when you got to the other side, it was actually shaped more like a "T" with a long piece extending out from the center.  I would guess it was close to 75 feet long or more.  In the second picture above you can see one of the canoes on the far right of the ice.  It's 30 feet long and looks so tiny next to it.

After our time was upand we got back to Skagway, we didn't have time to walk around the quaint little town.  It was disappointing but we had been there before so we were at least glad for that.

We raced back to the ship to get to dinner by 6:00.  I think we sat down at the table at about 6:10 looking like something a cat had brought in out of the rain.  We didn't have time to clean up but our waiters didn't make mention of our ragged appearance.  They took good care of us as always.

From dinner, we went to our cabin and took warm showers, got into warm, soft pajamas and were asleep for the night by 8:00 p.m.  It had been a fun but tiring day.

Next stop would be Juneau - the capital of Alaska.

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