Yesterday, our main excursion was to the town of Kake, home to the Tlingit Peoples. We awoke to breathtaking scenery once again.
As we awaited the tender to go ashore, a seaplane took off and buzzed the ship. It was unexpected but a little exciting.
Kake is a first-class city (a community must have at least 400 permanent residents to form a first class city in Alaska) located on the northwest coast of Kupreanof Island in Southeast Alaska, about 95 air miles southwest of Juneau. It is a Tlingit village rich in cultural history and tradition, with the region having been inhabited by the Tlingit people for thousands of years.
Key Facts about Kake
• The name “Kake” comes from the Tlingit word “Ḵéex̱ʼ” or “Ḵéix̱ʼ,” meaning “opening of daylight” or “mouth of dawn.”
• As of 2020, Kake had a population of 543 residents.
• Kake is home to the third tallest totem pole in the world, standing at 132 feet tall. It was carved in 1967 for the Alaska Purchase centennial.
• Nearly 70% of Kake’s residents are of Tlingit heritage, and many Tlingit traditions like dancing, storytelling, basket weaving, and carving remain integral to the community.
• Popular activities in Kake include fishing for salmon and halibut, whale watching, bear viewing, and exploring the surrounding Tongass National Forest.
• Kake hosts several annual festivals like the Fourth of July celebration, Kake Day in January, and the Dog Salmon Festival celebrating the salmon harvest.
Kake is accessible by air via regular flights from Juneau on small aircraft or floatplanes, as well as by the Alaska Marine Highway ferry system from ports like Juneau and Prince Rupert, Canada. Some cruise ships also make stops in Kake during the summer season.
I appreciate the naturalists on our ship for choosing to include excursions like Elfin Cove and Kake. These are sides of Alaska that many tourists would never see. Just as in Elfin Cove, we had Tlingit residents aboard the ship before and after our visit to inform us of their history, culture, and the unique nature of their town. Kake is not a dazzling place, but I found it very meaningful and helpful to understand life in Alaska. I didn’t feel comfortable taking many pictures, so here are just a few.
A young bald eagle was holding sentry right at the end of the harbor street. There were quite a few structures that had fallen into disrepair, and others with clear expressions of heritage pride. I don’t know the reasons for this disparity, so I’ll leave it at that and not attempt any inference.
The pride of the town is their totem pole.
Alaska dogs are happy dogs.
These four women talked about their lives and their Tlingit history.
In the afternoon, we got to tour the engine room on the ship—a highlight for a systems nerd like me. There are five generators on the ship producing electricity that run all the systems, including propulsion. The ship has two osmosis systems for drinking water. Our tour guide was an intern from a French maritime school, where he is studying for five years.
Signs and labels always tell a story.
We soon headed out to cruise through the night. I’ve learned one thing—when the ship is going full speed ahead and slams on the brakes, it means one thing: whales. We had quite a few humpbacks just off the ship.
This morning was, yet again, beautiful. Although we had to set an alarm for 5:00 AM to be awake and fully conscious for our 6:40 AM excursion to an ice field, it was worth it.
The boats taking us to the iceberg field appeared as an invasion.
The field was mind-boggling, other worldly. Touching an iceberg is something I’ll never forget. Mother Nature is an expert ice sculptress, and pictures tell the story better than words.
Late in the morning, we took the tender into Petersburg, originally a Tlingit settlement. White men came from Norway in the nineteenth century and gave it the name. They started a cannery, which remains the main economic engine of the town to this day. Today is the first day of crab season, so there were truckloads of traps being loaded onto fishing vessels.
For the rest of the day, we are cruising to our next destination through luscious vistas.
Gotta go, they just announced humpbacks breaching in the direction of eleven o’clock.