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We have heard from several cruisers that Hoonah is a must see stop. We were originally stopping here to hide out from a blow that is heading through before trying to race up to Skagway in order to catch up to the Norwegian Jewel and meet up with Angie. The weather is supposed to be quite stiff, 60 knots are forecast in the Lynn Canal. For those who are not in the know, 64 is a hurricane force. So we definitely don't want to be there then.
Hoonah (Xunaa in Tlingit means "protected from the North Wind") boasts the largest Tlingit population in S.E. Alaska and also the world's largest Ziprider line. The Tlingits are known for their totem poles and Hoonah has a few! We got to see and talk with one of the carvers putting the finishing touches on one and the first bit of paint before they raised it on Friday. He and another carver had been working steadily for six months to carve this ornate sculpture out of a tree trunk.
We found out that Hoonah also calls the cruise ship terminal here Icy Straight Point. Hey guess what, that is a stop for the Norwegian Jewel. We no longer have to be a racer cruiser. So we can stay here and let the weather settle.
Hoonah is also the favorite stop for boats as they wait to go up to Glacier Bay National Park, which is probably how we will change our schedule before heading further.
The people here are extremely friendly and go out of their way to say hello and welcome you to their town. We have had several people walk with us and pick up a conversation as we walk to or from some place. One of our neighbors even gave us a couple of big dungeness crabs a couple of minutes after we tied up to our berth!
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| a colorful totem pole |
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| the Hoonah Indian Association |
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| another beautiful totem pole |
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