Boston Herald
October 30, 1997
Alaska Bound

Walk through the 105-acre Sitka National Historical Park in southeast
Alaska, on the outskirts of the small town of Sitka, and you'll
feel the spirit of our northwestern-most state ó proud, strong,
and primitive ó in the forest of enormous, telephone-pole-straight
spruce, hemlock and cedar trees, dripping wet with frequent rainfall.


The park is not only a testament to Alaska's natural beauty, but
a tribute to the state's native culture and history. A collection
of towering totem poles carved by local artisans have been placed
along the Park's two miles of walking trails. Comprising originals
nearly 100 years old as well as some newer copies, the cedar totems
come from native communities throughout Southeast Alaska.

The edge of the park also marks the site of a native fort and the
Battle of Sitka, fought in 1804 between the Russians and native
Tlingits, and considered the last major conflict fought between
the Indians of the northwest coast and the Europeans. The Russians
first arrived to the Sitka area in the mid-18th century seeking
their fortunes in fur and timber and laying claim to the resource-rich
land, and were in battle with the natives off and on for decades.
In 1867 on the land now occupied by the park, the transfer of Alaska
from the Russians to the United States took place, opening the door
to a wave of American settlers seeking wealth and adventure in the
new territory.

Today, Sitka and the handful of other colorful 19th-century pioneer
towns with similar histories, are popular ports of call for the
nearly three dozen cruise ships that ply the waterways, known as
the Inside Passage, which envelop Alaska's southern strip of fjords,
islands, glaciers, and forests.

While ships of all sizes traverse these waters -- with the biggest
carrying 2,000 passengers into a port on any given day -- for people
who want an intimate encounter with Alaska in an informal, folksy
atmosphere, there are a handful of small-ship cruises that focus
on putting passengers in close contact with Alaska's awesome natural
beauty, wildlife, and unique culture.

The small vessels, none carrying more than 200 passengers, are casual
through and through. Guests are provided no-frills, utilitarian
cabins equipped with not much more than two beds, a bathroom, and
a wedge of closet. There is usually one dining-room serving up simple,
hearty American fare and an all-purpose lounge bathed in windows
where guests congregate, socialize, and listen to presentations
and explanations by naturalists and park rangers. In keeping with
the informal atmosphere, the speakers mingle with passengers to
answer questions and share experiences. Young crew members earn
an "A" in enthusiasm and lend a familial, laid-back feel to the
trip; they are usually just as excited as the guests are when a
whale is spotted.

Outside deck areas are ample, since most passengers want to spend
a good deal of time out there, with binoculars and cameras never
more than an arm's length away. Passengers as well as the crew and
captain constantly scout for the humpback whales, Orcas, seals,
bald eagles, and porpoises commonly encountered along the cruise.
If you're lucky, you'll spot a brown bear or two along the shoreline.
The vessels' small size allows them to get up close to the edge
of a fjord or the terminus of a massive glacier, at times within
just a few hundred feet; close enough to not only see, but hear
the thundering sounds of glaciers calving and even feel the wake
from the chunks of ice crashing into the water.

Typical seven-night itineraries on board one of these small vessels
include visits to Sitka and several other rustic towns in Southeast
Alaska. Ketchikan, originally a Tlingit Indian fishing camp, and
still one of southeast Alaska's best places for salmon fishing,
is home to more totem poles than anywhere else in the world. Juneau,
Alaska's capital and third largest city, was founded in the late
19th century after gold was discovered in a stream that now runs
through the middle of town. Petersburg is a quaint fishing village
founded by a Norwegian in 1897, with a picturesque harbor chock
full of fishing trawlers and boats of all shapes, sizes, and colors.
Visits to Wrangall, Haines or Skagway, towns with similar 19th-century
origins and connections to the land, are often included in week-long
Inside Passage cruises.

In between and all around these rustic pockets of civilization are
the thousands of square miles of massive glaciers, iceberg-choked
straits, desolate canals and sounds, sheer rock faces of ancient
fjords, and thick mounds of forest. Many cruise itineraries include
a day cruising through the eerily quiet canals of the Misty Fjords
National Monument, a vast area of primeval wilderness, steep-sided
fjords, and waterways, outside of Ketchikan. Small boats are able
to maneuver right up to the 3,000-foot-high granite walls and the
waterfalls that spill down their faces.

Another day on most Inside Passage cruises is spent in the LeConte
Glacier and Fjord area, midway between Ketchikan and Juneau, where
chunks of blue-tinted icebergs float alongside the ship as it makes
it way through narrow passages on route to the massive glacier's
edge.

A full day of cruising in Glacier Bay National Park, near Juneau,
is also a mainstay of most itineraries. Here, there are over a dozen
tidewater glaciers, some rising as high as 7,000 feet above the
bay. In the past 200 years, glacial activity in this area has been
phenomenal, exposing nearly 60 miles of fjords, inlets and islands
as the area's glacial ice has melted and retreated.

From the decks of a small ship, you're able to practically reach
out and touch these amazing products of nature. And, like the adventurous
pioneers who explored Alaska hundreds of years before you, at times,
on board a 100-passenger ship, you'll feel like you too are foraging
through the great unknown.