ALASKA AND RUSSIA’S FAR EAST

In the 1930s a port and city was built in Provideniya Bay as a coaling and supply station for the ships in the Chukotka Region and for the Northern Sea Lane. Until recently huge piles of coal in the harbor were remains of that period. Provideniya is located at the northeastern end of the bay, at Emma Harbor. Today there are some 2,200 residents –many of them Yupik- living along the shore of the northern side of Emma Harbor. On the southern side are the buildings formerly used by the military.  The “House of the Culture” serves to show cultural performances ranging from Russian to local folklore and the small “Museum of Beringian Heritage” has interesting exhibition pieces, including a walrus skull with four tusks.

At the eastern end of Far East Russia lies Lavrentiya Bay. Further east across the narrow Bering Sea lies Alaska. Lavrentiya Bay was named by Captain James Cook on his third expedition in 1778 after the day he arrived in the bay—the feast day of Saint Lawrence. The far east region was already under Russian influence, including having been visited by the Danish explorer Vitus Bering in 1728, whilst employed by the Russian, Peter the Great. Russian fur traders were also in the region as they slowly pushed east into Alaska.

Indigenous Chukchi people have long dwelt in Lavrentiya Bay. Traditionally they lived on marine life harvested and eaten fresh or stored for winter. The Russians founded the town of Lavrevtiya in the bay of the same name in 1928. It was a Kultbaza—a settlement for the education of indigenous communities. Lavrevtiya is now the administrative center for the Chukotsky District and has most of the limited facilities of this very remote part of Russia.

Whales were a highly sought-after prey for the Chutchi who hunted them from boats made of marine mammal skins. Walrus and seals were also hunted. Archaeologists have shown that earlier hunters of the bay used harpoons with wings, thought to assist the flight of the harpoons. Salmon, caught at rivers during the summer spawning runs, and reindeer, were also key foods. Such food is still sought, but only a few whales are permitted to be taken each year. The whales most visitors see in the bay are safe, and they seem to know it.

Proliv Senyavina is the name of the passage around Arakamchechen Island, Chukotka. At the southern end of the passage and slightly inland on the mainland are To the Proliv Senyavina Hot Springs. We will go ashore by Zodiac, will enter a small lagoon and hike across tundra and some rolling hills to reach a stream with some hot springs. You can choose to either enter a small pool prepared by the local fishermen, or to go into the stream.

Like bookends, towering cliffs composed of light-colored granite and streaked by darker rock stand on each side of a large sheltered bay in the spectacular scenery of Cape Kuyvyveen. The sandy beach lies at the head of the bay with rolling tundra behind. Despite the cliffs on either side of the bay being quite close together, the adjacent terrains are slightly different, and each attracts different species of birds. Thick-billed Murres, Glaucous and Slaty-winged Gulls, Parakeet Auklets and Red Phalaropes frequent the dramatic rocky formations while Common Murres, Pelagic Cormorants and Black-legged Kittiwakes line the cliffs and archways.

Shore walk with expedition staff.

DAY AT SEA – CROSS DATELINE – Gain a day.

The city of Saint Paul is located on a narrow peninsula on the southern tip of St. Paul Island, the largest of five islands in the Pribilof Islands. These islands are located in the middle of the Bering Sea between the United States and Russia. St. Paul lies 240 miles north of the Aleutian Islands, 300 miles west of mainland Alaska, and 750 air miles west of Anchorage. The first non-natives to ‘discover’ St. Paul were Russian fur-traders in the late 1780s, led by the navigator, Gavriil Pribylov. Today, this small city has one school (K-12), one post office, one bar, one small general store, and one church, a Russian Orthodox Church that is registered as a National Historic building. In summer, this island is teeming with wildlife, including about 500,000 northern fur seals and millions of seabirds, including Tufted Puffins.

With Bald Eagles soaring overhead, emerald-green volcanic peaks chafing the clouds, and raw ocean scenery as far as the eye can see, this far-flung destination is the definition of remote and wild. Part of the outlying Aleutian Islands archipelago, which spirals out across the Bering Sea into the wilds of the Pacific, Dutch Harbor offers a dramatic backdrop and rich military history. Enjoy hikes along coastal trails to birdwatch among more than 100 different species – and look on as huge clouds of cawing seabirds float on gusts of wind, filling the air with their raucous calls.

Geographic Harbor is a superb hidden natural harbor within the Katmai National Park. It is well known for its wildlife and wilderness values, but it was a cataclysmic event that lead to the preservation of the area. In 1912, a huge volcanic eruption on the Alaska Peninsula devasted the landscape. One valley of ash, fumeroles and steam was named The Valley of a Thousand Smokes. The National Geographic Society came to study the event and successfully lobbied for the area’s protection. One of their expeditions put Geographic Harbor on the map and it was named after the society. People have lived in the area for at least 9000 years, including native Alaskan Alutiiq people, Russian fur trappers and American adventurers. Large Brown Bears are sometimes seen foraging for berries, roots and sedges ashore, or for clams at low tide. But, as for all wildlife, no sighting is guaranteed. This is a harbor where the life is truly wild.

Hubbard Glacier is the largest glacier in North America, with a calving front that is more than six miles wide. One of the main sources for Hubbard Glacier originates 76 mi inland. It has been a very active glacier, experiencing two major surges in the past 30 years. This glacier was named after Gardiner Greene Hubbard, a U.S. lawyer, financier, and philanthropist. He was the first president of the National Geographic Society.

Elfin Cove sits snugly on the southern shore of Cross Sound, which leads in eastwards to the Inside Passage. Northwards and across the Sound from the small community lies Glacier Bay National Park and the Fairweather Mountain range. Elfin Cove is a quaint little harbor clustered with attractive timber houses built into the wooded hillsides on stilts. The population swells to about 200 during the summer months, from a rather meager 6 or so during the snowy and isolated winters. Its commercial hub consists of a Post Office, mini-Museum, a General Store, the Coho Bar and numerous sports fishing businesses. In the summer months Rufous-backed Hummingbirds visit feeders scattered around the community.

On the northern tip of Chichagof Island Point Adolphus, is a well-known area for humpback whale watching.

A land of bears, wild landscapes and icy adventures, sail between glorious islands and witness the diverse wildlife of the Inside Passage. Eagles watch over the scenery overhead, while whales and sea lions add glorious weight to the animal life that thrives and thrashes in these icy seas. With a quintet of Pacific salmon species filling the rich rivers and waterways with life, settle back to enjoy the show. You might notice the onion-shaped dome atop St. Michael’s Church – a relic of the area’s Russian history. Sitka was the capital of Russian America until a deal was struck in 1867, and the territory was sold to the United States, with the handover ceremony taking place here in Sitka. The native Tlingit culture is an important presence, and elaborate totem poles adorn Sitka National Historical Park.

Having experienced three gold rushes in its history, the immense scenery and thrilling wildlife is an enduring treasure for visitors. The mighty Stikine River has been the lifeblood to this region for centuries, cutting through pine-cloaked valleys for 400 miles before unloading into the frigid ocean. Explore via jet-boat and head out to the abundant waters of Anan Creek, an ancient fishing site of the Tlingit people.

Painstakingly sculpted by the slow grind of colossal glaciers, the fjords of Rudyerd Bay are some of the Inside Passage’s most spectacular and humbling. Just 40 miles from Ketchikan, hordes of salmon splash in the region’s streams, while basalt pillars – left behind by ancient volcanoes – puncture the slow flow of the waters. A litany of plunging waterfalls gives sheer, monolithic cliff faces added life and vitality. With crowds of pine trees and snow-tipped mountains surrounding you everywhere you look, Rudyerd Bay is one of the Misty Fjords’ most precious and inspiring locations.

Navigate through the intricate outlays of staggering  scenery, threading a needle between craggy, snow-dusted islands. To cruise this 500-mile stretch of Alaskan beauty is to sail through a living work of natural art – with perfectly sculpted mountains soaring from the shoreline, and clutches of islands scattered across the dark waters with delicate attention to detail. A common sailing route due to its calm sheltered waters, gorgeous natural set pieces constantly play out here – whether it’s killer whales accompanying you through the breathtaking icy passages, harbor seals catching a break on floating hunks of ice, or wisps of cloud clinging to distant mountain peaks.

Boasting mountains, sea, culture, art and so much more, many cities claim to have it all, but few can back it up like Vancouver. Offering all of the creature comforts of an ultra-modern, worldly metropolis – even downtown has a hint of mountain-freshness to its air – and part of Vancouver’s appeal is how easily you can swap the skyscrapers for whale-filled oceans and mountain-punctured skies.