Well only a distant shot of a Brown Bear as you will see but I was the only person on this excursion to spot the bear and get a photo! No photos of the humming bird - too swift and flighty even for my camera but I was surprised to see such delicate birds so far north but evidently they migrate up from Mexico.
What a delightful and authentic place for a call. No other cruise ships and a cheery welcome in traditional dress by members of the local Tlingit population. Hoonah is a Tlingit community on Chichagof Island in the southeastern region known as the Alaskan "panhandle". It is 30 miles west of Juneau. The tiny port round the corner from the village of Hoonah is Icy Strait and it is owned and operated by the local Tlingit community. From the 1860s to the 1960s the native populations were highly discriminated against but with the passing of a law in 1964 the native peoples were recognised and given the right to take back there native lands and artefacts. To achieve this local communities set themselves up as commercial corporations and began to build such docks as Icy Strait and to reclaim from museums in the east artifacts that had been plundered in the previous century. Hence Hoonah now chooses which cruise ships it will allow to call and prevent the likes of Carnival from exploiting the local culture and traditions.
I spent the morning on a tour through the temperate rainforest down to some viewing platforms by the Spasski River. We were rewarded with a brief view of a Sitka Black Tailed Deer and an even briefer glance of a Brown Bear in the deep undergrowth on the other side of the river. The Rufus Humming Birds were an added if fleeting bonus!
Back at the dockside I indulged in Halibut and Chips overlooking a splendid stretch of water. Believe me if you have not tasted sweet, tender Halibut and chips in Alaska then you have missed a treat!
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