On an Indigenous-owned expedition cruise, one writer sees Alaskas majestic wilderness with the people who know it best.
I was setting off for a beach walk onshore with 10 other passengers, plus expedition leader Simon Hook.
Just as the engine revved up, Hook pulled back the throttle.
Part of the Boundary Ranges, which flank the Alaska-Canada border.Credit: David Swanson
My heart pulsed as Hook wheeled the craft around and slowly motored parallel to the whales' path.
They resurfaced four more times we snapped as many pictures as we could before disappearing into the bay.
TheKruzof Explorer’ssix passenger cabins small, but suitable, and most with queen beds sit just above the waterline.
A humpback whale breaches in Frederick Sound.David Swanson
On the top deck is a light-filled dining room and bar where we passengers spent much of our downtime.
At the rear are kayaks, paddleboards, the Zodiac, and a fishing skiff.
I counted 11 bears.
Coastal brown bears fish for salmon near Hidden Falls on Baranof Island, in Alaska.David Swanson
Mothers and cubs were lazily feasting on the bounty of salmon.
It was late in the season, so the bears were plump.
It seemed like a kind of lethargy had set into their routine.
Expedition leader Simon Hook pilots a Zodiac toward shore.David Swanson
But the spectacle was still irresistible, even as the rain pelted harder.
In the afternoon, as we headed into Frederick Sound, we spotted a pair of humpbacks feeding.
Several of us descended into a cramped photo hide.
The Kruzof Explorer anchors near Farragut Bay.David Swanson
A few minutes later, I heard the click of Hook’s camera.
Then other, bigger bears materialized, walking on top of the downed trees that lined the riverbank.
The animals seemed oblivious to us.
Our trip into Tracy Arm was no less thrilling.
But encountering the tidewater glacier aboard this smaller craft brought home the immensity of the ice sheet.
He replied, “Everything you brought.”
Nearby, a mountain goat and her offspring scaled one craggy wall of the scree-littered terrain.
In the distance, I could see dozens of black spots on bergs that had calved from the glacier.
I had come to Alaska for the wildlife.
Who knew the mists and the ice would be alive as well?
Alaskan Dream Cruisesoffers seven-day Alaskan Bear Country & Wilderness itineraries that start at $8,525.
A version of this story originally appeared in the July 2022 issue ofTravel + Leisureunder the headlinePure and Simple.
