Huna Tlingit lived in Glacier Bay until about 1750, when the advancing glacier forced them to relocate to what is now Hoonah. This is a small village of about 800, although the town swarms with people when cruise ships stop.

Norwegian Cruise Line made an agreement with the Tlingit to build two docks on Icy Strait Point, where the old salmon cannery stood, just over a mile outside of town. A destination was developed, which includes kayak rentals, whale watching tours, a huge zip line, cannery museum, Tlingit ceremonial dances, souvenir shops and seafood restaurants. The agreement allowed the Tlingit to become shareholders in this business endeavor; though not all are happy with it, many in the tribe benefit far beyond the brief summer cruise ship season.

On the walk to Icy Strait Point we saw a Tlingit pictograph from the 1750s, spotted deer along the path, then warmed ourselves next to the fireplace in a restaurant overlooking the water. Eagles are abundant here, always fishing, diving and calling their distinctive, high-pitched kleek kik ik ik ik.

We’re enjoying the luxury of shore power in Hoonah, not a certainty at every moorage. Kama Hele has a lot of systems requiring power. There are the obvious ones like refrigeration and water pumps, but others not so obvious, like VHF radio or inverter and battery chargers. Shore power allows us to use anything at any time; we can wash and dry clothes while cooking dinner, charge phones and computers, watch a movie and turn on the heater. We use power without thinking. When on generator power, it becomes a dance of systems that can be used simultaneously and those that can’t because of how much amperage they draw. Microwave and crock pot can be used concurrently, but microwave and toaster oven will blow a fuse. The complex power panels resemble a cockpit, with switches, gauges and settings for two generators. Bob manages it; I know enough to be dangerous.

Niece and nephew Grace and Nik joined us at the end of their Denali trip, flying into Hoonah on a seaplane. Always exciting to watch! We head to Juneau tomorrow to drop them off and pick up Bob’s long time friend Dave, then begin making our way to Sitka.