Again, we woke to an amazing panorama of Alaska’s mountains and waters.

We cruised until 7:30 AM, when we arrived in Haines, population 1,657 as of the 2020 census.

The main event of the day was exploring Chilkoot Lake. There were an array of expeditions afforded, bus tours, river rafting, and kayaking. I chose the kayaking. After taking the tender to the harbor, we boarded a van for the drive to the lake. I sat shotgun and spotted four Bald Eagles on the short trip. We unloaded near the boat ramp and had our quick safety overview. We were all assigned a “splash skirt” to keep the water out of the kayak and a life vest. The kayaks were tandem, so two to a boat. We were a party of 11, 10 of which were couples, so I was odd man out and assigned to share with the wonderful Erin. She is a junior at Haines High School (mascot: Glacier Bears, colors: White, Green). As she said, “I’ve lived in Haines all my life, but no one is born in Haines. We don’t have health services to deliver a baby, so moms must go to Juneau for their last month of pregnancy until delivery.” She plays volleyball and is the state champion in shotput. Their out-of-town games and meets are quite an ordeal, involving boats, float planes, bunking in classrooms, and sometimes two travel days to reach their competitors. Needless to say, she kept me paddling in the right direction.

One shore of the lake is a sheer mountain drop with glacial waterfalls cascading down. The other shore features some flora and fauna nestled between the lake and more mountains. It was a breathtaking and serene experience.

Here’s our motley crew after our trip around the lake. Everyone survived although some got a little wet.

Oh, and one more glacier to end the day as we cruise throughout the night to land in Kake tomorrow morning.

Fair warning, I might take tomorrow off.