Captain’s Log: Exploring Lynn Canal and Haines, Alaska

April 24-26

Hi All,

OK…can’t resist to quote another friend: “Now that I know what a duck fart is, would go great with moose turds – venison cheese meatballs”…now that is livin’ the dream for sure:))))

The day before we left Auke Bay it actually snowed…..hard, blizzard like conditions at times…wow!! Kathy read it was the 8th latest recorded snowfall in Juneau…6th latest in Hoonah. I was reading on the settee and Kathy calls out….OMG, there is Russ on Alliance just coming in to D dock…..the fisherman we befriended in Sitka…..we put on all our gear…takes about 5 min…and went for a visit….Otter, the wild, juvenile, Husky and Pit-Bull mix, was ever glad to see Cookie Lady…..Kathy got major dogie luv for 30 min or so. Unfortunately Russ’ black cod long lining trip to Yakutat was a semi-bust….poor weather conditions and crew issues kept him to only getting about 1/3 of his quota….he was a bit depressed but off to his next adventure!! We hope to see him again in Sitka!!

Finally, after 2 days of waiting, Mr Weather allowed us to leave Auke Bay!!!! We left at 8am on Wednesday, April 24 and first headed to the fuel dock….got 481 gals of diesel fuel @ $3.29/gal….yikes, we used 460 gals since Sitka…..traveled 425nm….not so good fuel usage but, yep, that Kabola heater was working hard, used maybe 75 gal in those 30 days….whoa!!!

The passage was a good one…..had 5-20kt winds from astern….more winds toward Haines, maybe 2-3′ following seas at times….61nm and we arrived around 4:15pm…..tied up to the dock, power plugged in, passage beers opened by 4:45:)))) We can now better understand how these winds howl through this area. “Lynn Canal is an inlet into the mainland of southeast Alaska. Lynn Canal runs about 90 miles from the inlets of the Chilkat River south to Chatham Strait and Stephens Passage. At over 2,000 feet in depth, Lynn Canal is the deepest fjord in North America and one of the deepest and longest in the world. Examined by Joseph Whidbey and named in July, 1794, by Captain Vancouver for his birthplace, King’s Lynn, Norfolk, England.”

And, it is surrounded on both sides with 4-12k’ mountains. It’s not really a canal, but a fiord carved by glaciers. We were disappointed by no critter sightings….guess, the critters are waiting for Spring to arrive:))) The clouds hung from sea level to 4-5k’ preventing us from seeing the 12k’ tall mountains and it actually snowed on us…first time for Mystic underway…..yikes!!

Lynn Canal is also home to many disastrous shipwrecks from uncharted rocks/reefs during and after the gold rush times from 1890 – 1920’s…..eventually the US government installed a series of 4 manned lighthouses from 1902-1906. As we passed by the various sites, we imagined how hard dead reckoning navigation was in wicked winds/storms w/o GPS and updated charts:

-Princess May: grounded off Sentinel Island 8/5/1910, many famous photographs of the ship completely out of water on the rocks, all 148 survived after being taken off by other ships, they eventually were able to pull the ship off and make to a port for repairs
-Princess Sophia: wrecked off Vanderbilt reef 10/15/1918, the Capitan refused to abandon ship for insurance reasons and eventually the ship sank in a wicked storm killing all 364 aboard, the 2nd largest maritime disaster in USA history……and so preventable as rescue boats were standing by….arghhhhh!!!
-Clara Nevada: wrecked on Eldred Rock near Haines 2/5/1898, 4 survivors, 80 dead, lost 850 pounds of gold from the Yukon gold mines….sabotage was a possibility, the ship and gold have never been found….curious!!!

Haines, what a magical little town! Surrounded by snow-covered mountains it is breathtaking! Had dinner the first night at the restaurant at the top of the dock, Lighthouse, only place open right now….the food was mediocre but the view stunning!

Haines: “The area around present-day Haines was called Dtehshuh or “end of the trail” by the Chilkat group of Tlingit. It received this name because they could portage their canoes from the trail they used to trade with the interior, which began at the outlet of the Chilkat River, to Dtehshuh and save 20 miles of rowing around the Chilkat Peninsula. The first European, George Dickinson, an agent for the North West Trading Company, settled at Dtehshuh in 1879. In 1881, the Chilkat asked Sheldon Jackson to send missionaries to the area. Samuel Hall Young, a Presbyterian minister, was sent. Jackson built the Chilkat Mission and school at Dtehshuh in 1881, on land given to the church by the Chilkat. The Mission was renamed “Haines” in 1884 in honor of Francina E. Haines, the chairwoman of the committee that raised funds for its construction.

At the time, the boundary between Canada and the U.S. was disputed and vaguely defined. There were overlapping land claims from the United States’ purchase of Alaska from Russia in 1867 and British claims along the coast. Canada had requested a survey after British Columbia united with it in 1871, but the idea was rejected by the United States as being too costly given the area’s remoteness, sparse settlement, and limited economic or strategic interest. The Klondike Gold Rush of 1898–1899 changed the region greatly. Haines became a supply center for the Dalton Trail from Chilkat Inlet offered a route to the Yukon for prospectors. Gold was also discovered 36 miles from Haines in 1899 at the Porcupine District. During this time the name “Haines” came into use for the area around the mission and not for just the mission itself.”

Haines is surrounded by mountains and water. Rising high above the town are the Takinsha Mountains and Chilkat Range to the south, Takshanuk Mountains (Mt Ripinsky, 4k’) to the north and Coast Mountains to the east across the Lynn Canal…..all in the 3,000 to 6,000′ range!!!! The Chilkat Range is 70 miles long and extends south along the Chilkat Inlet, Lynn Canal, and on to Icy Strait. It servers as the eastern border to Glacier Bay National Park…..we know this Range and have admired it since last fall!!

Our first day we did a walking tour around Haines….visitor center, Fort Seward, several shops in downtown, a quick beer taste at the Haines Brewing Co, lunch at the Last Compass, and a stop at the Sheldon Museum…..small but well down and excellent history review of this area.

“Fort William H. Seward, a United States Army fort, was constructed primarily in 1901 to attend to border disputes with Canada from the Gold Rush It was built south of Haines and completed by 1904, on property donated by the mission from its holdings. In 1922, the fort was renamed Chilkoot Barracks. It was the only United States Army post in Alaska before World War II. During World War II, it was used as a supply point for some U.S. Army activities in Alaska. The fort was deactivated in 1946 and sold as surplus property to a group of investors (Ted Gregg, Carl Heinmiller, Marty Cordes, Clarence Mattson, and Steve Homer) who called it “Port Chilkoot”, thus forming the Port Chilkoot Company. Port Chilkoot was incorporated as a city in 1956. In 1970, Port Chilkoot merged with Haines into one municipality. Heinmiller was Port Chilkoot’s mayor for the majority of its existence as a separate city. In 1972, the fort was designated a National Historic Landmark and the name, Fort William H. Seward, was restored.”

The 2nd day we rented a car and went to the Bald Eagle Preserve, along the Chilkat River on the Haines HWY, one of the best burgers in a while at 33 mile restaurant, then over to the Chilkat Inlet and the Salmon Cannery (won’t open until June), then over to Lutak Inlet/Chilkoot Lake to see the Hooligans, and finally to the Haines distillery for a wee dram of their fine whiskey…..whoa….a long day for us.

“Haines is home to the largest congregation of American Bald Eagles in the world in the Alaska Chilkat Bald Eagle Preserve, created by the State of Alaska in 1982. The preserve occupies 48,000 acres of prime American Bald Eagle habitat along the muddy bottom lands of the Chilkat River. During the summer the river runs high and fast with glacial waters from the surrounding mountain peaks, but during the late fall and early winter the Chilkat River remains unfrozen and American Bald Eagles gather to feed on late salmon spawning runs. A highlight of driving the beautiful Haines Highway between 18 and 24 mile is sighting trees heavily laden with these beautiful birds. During the month of November and the peak gathering of birds of up to 3000 individuals, the American Bald Eagle Foundation hosts the Alaska Bald Eagle Festival, a week long festival that draws photographers from all over the world to capture these majestic birds. A part of these festivities include opportunities to learn about eagles, photography safaris, and releases of rehabilitated eagles back into the wild.”

Well…..we are certainly at the wrong time of year…..we saw ZERO Eagles…..well, Kathy did see 2 soaring high up:)))) But wow, the scenery was spectacular and we can imagine what it must be like with all the eagles and bears when the salmon arrive. We did put on the “bucket list” to return one day for the Eagle Festival in November!!!

The highlight of the day was the Chilkoot inlet and watching the Hooligans: “Every year in the middle to end of April, life comes back to Southeast Alaska in large, black, amorphous masses which fill our oceans and rivers. These amorphous masses bring with them flocks of gulls, sea lion roars, and eagle screams. These masses are millions of smelt known colloquially as hooligan. Known more formally as eulachon (Thaleichthys pacificus), hooligan are a small fish that live out their lives in the oceans, but return to their natal rivers to spawn, then die.”

The hooligan are home

The whales have not arrived yet but plenty of sea lions…..we saw a raft of 30-50…all laying out on the water, many groaning from too full bellies:))) We saw 1000’s of birds, many gulls but also many Eagles…..so that is where they went:))) Kathy also saw 2 juveniles soaring and then playing with talons out!!!

Weather: Bright sunshine, temp’s in the high 50’s…..Spring has finally arrived along with the Hooligans:))) Oh, and we now have 16 hours of sunlight….sunrise at 5am, sunset at 9pm…..it was just 4 months ago in January when we had 7 hours of sunlight!!!!

The Plan: We are moving over to Skagway today, Saturday, April 27….~15nm….short day:)))) We will be there 4-5 nights and hope to explore much of the gold rush history, a tour up the White Pass and do some dog mushing…..will be very interesting!!

Hope all is well!!

John
Mystic Moon
leaving Haines soon