Canadian World Traveller Winter 2019-20 Issue

ports you to remote places where few have
gone before.
Today's luxury seeking clients and those in
need of a digital detox will imbibe in nature
and feast on wilderness encounters never
imagined. No regrets.
On The Legacy the attire is casual. Guests
wear wellies and raincoats. When it's time to
disembark our ports of call are marked by
geographic locations and not towns – like
Endicott Arm. Crew and guests give the
mandatory “Viking Handshake” position -
that's a sturdy hand grip as we leave behind
the mothership and its new Sea Dragon, a
towed state-of-the-art trailer that allows for
the swift launching of kayaks and inflatable
skiff boats.
Over a week I got out of my comfort zone,
doing things I never imagined. On our first
day at sea we pulled into Glacier Bay
National Park to pick up our Park Ranger Matt
Earle who arrived at dawn in a thick fog via
skiff boat surrounded by breaching humpback
whales. The park has a rich fish food
court off Bartlett Cove, a pleasure ground for
humpback whales located in the vicinity of the
Visitor Centre.
In Glacier Bay National Park we set our sights
on John Muir territory. The great naturalist
whose achievements spearheaded the United
States National Park system was so mystified
by the glaciers creating Yosemite Valley, he
made the rigorous journey to Alaska in 1879
to see for himself what glaciers actually
looked like.
These days only a handful of select cruise
lines like UnCruise Adventures gain restricted
park access and have limited viewing opportunities
regulated by the National Parks system.
Cruise guests enjoy the pristine natural
surrounds without viewing a highway of ships
in its path. Isolated. Remote. Only the primordial
growls of wild animals and the blowhole
gasps from whales with plenty of bird calls
awaken the senses. We smelled the pungent
musty odour of the endangered Stellar Sea
Lions sunning and loudly grunting on South
Marble Island before actually seeing them.
We laughed at the bobbing sea lions and
zoomed our binoculars on rock outcroppings,
home to mountain goats.
At the park's West Arm – a pair of glaciers
stand side by side. The ship's engine shuts off.
We're facing the sheer white 21-mile long
Margerie Glacier and the wider 34.5-mile
long black tinged rocky Grand Pacific Glacier.
We stare at these tidewater glaciers watching
Margerie's iridescent blue bergy bits bobbing
by as the dramatic crash of more ice sheering
off in a process known as calving enter the
tidal waters. It's only the start of our glacier
quest voyage.
Unlike the mid-sized to large cruise ships that
ply the busy Pacific Ocean corridor, our
adventure cruise sails the sheltered glassy
calm Inside Passage. It's home to a rugged
coastline of sky high walled canyons, hidden
coves, glacier-cut fjords dotted by rocky islets
and that's not counting the abundant wildlife
encounters in this lush temperate coastal rainforest.
One morning we took a skiff boat to the
“mainland.” It was bear territory. We meandered
through meadows into gardens of wild
orchids, chocolate lilies and the bell-shaped
cassiope, looking at bear scat like it was an
artifact from another world. From our expedition
guide yelps erupted as did lyrical “Day-
O” sounds that resembled The Banana Boat
Song. The high notes echoed through the
southeast Alaskan summer breeze in this
alfresco chamber of green. The only thing trying
to bite us was an occasional pesky mosquito.
(Watch our video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wOyFQ
O4SD68)
We later sail south down the Chatham Strait
considered the great marine highway of the
protected Inside Passage between Baranof
Island and the bear-rich Admiralty Island. The
federally protected wilderness habitat is home
to an estimated 1,600 brown bears, bald
eagles and Sitka black-tailed deer. The
smooth landscape pales in comparison to the
towering glacier skyscrapers we left behind.
One day we play with critters. We anchor by
Keku Islands, a group of islands in Southeast
Alaska known for some of the finest tide-pooling.
This natural phenomenon unleashes
extraordinary sea creatures that surface during
low tide giving you personal marine life
encounters. Before the excursions, the expedition
guides list the do's and don'ts of sustainable
viewing.
Kayakers paddle into craggily coves to
discover how much life resides in the
oxygen-rich intertidal water. A sea garden
of clams, starfish, incredibly long bull
kelp normally submerged during high tide
have risen to the surface to curious eyes. On
the volcanic rock left behind from the glaciation
we gawk at the giant chitons and giant
acorn barnacles hugging the salt and pepper
surface. Baritone slurping sounds suck
beneath my feet. Specs of clam shoot out air
clouds in this mad dash for intertidal survival.
“Out here we have some of the highest tides
in the world as well as the lows,” says Sarah,
UnCruise Expedition Guide during our tide
pool shoreline walk. “Water come back. Hear
the squeaky sounds? It's time for them to
squirt. Hear the gulping?”
I look down around my wellies. Standing on
what was dry shoreline, in minutes my toes
are now underwater as are the clams.
The S.S. Legacy had sailed off itinerary by this
time – which is typical of UnCruise
Adventures.
“We aim to go where the animals are,”
explains owner Dan Blanchard of the
unscripted itineraries to our fellow shipmates
in a precruise briefing days earlier. He shows
our group his brochure and flings it in the air.
“See this. You might as well forget it. We rely
on our crew who get daily local updates of
wildlife sightings. We want you to explore one
of the best areas left on the planet for wildlife
viewing.”
Indeed.
No loud music. No live entertainment. No
cellphone service... and yes, no Wi-Fi either.
UnCruise is all about reconnecting to nature
and sharing those moments with loved ones
and new friends.
Be prepared to get unplugged. It's easy to do
on UnCruise.
www.uncruise.com
41
Canadian World Traveller Winter 2019-20