Hoonah, Alaska's Icy Strait Point - A taste of the REAL Alaaqsaq (Alaska)

[tetleytea]

JohnQ, that's some really good picture-taking with those whales. That must have been a lot of pictures, to get those that zoomed in and timed just right.

[JohnQ]

We booked our flt for a Friday on our way to denali. When we left Anc, it was raining and we were pretty sure we would not get out. When we got to Talkeetna and over to Talkeetna Aero offices, the confirmed nothing was flying. Bummer!! So we booked a flt for Sun when we were driving back to Anc. When we got to Talkeetna about noon on Sun, they said they were flying and could get us out at 1pm instead of our 3pm, so we wouldn't be as late getting back to Anc. The also didn't charge us extra for the Summit flt with our toursaver coupon because they were going to take the other three people on Summit anyway. It was perfect day and we got tons of good photos and video. Smooth flt, oxygen masks were no problem, and we even got to fly between the peaks which they usually can not do. Based on recommendations, we chose summit rather than fly around with glacier landing.

klondike hwy drive to Emerald Lake was also very nice and picturesque. They had snow that nite and the mtns all had snow on them on our Labor Day drive. Weather was perfect. Got our Toyota from Avis and were there when they opened. We had about 10-14 people from Summit cruisecritics group doing this and saw many of them along the way. You need to download Yukons travel guide, as it gives you places to stop and background or history. Emerald Lake was nice, no place to really drive down to or services. We got down lowere but view wasn't as nice. The Fall Colors in the mtns was nice. Carcross was a nice little town. But since yukon was on vacation, we walked around town, ate out at the gas station, and headed back to see Skagway. Probably took us about 4-5 hrs, maybe little more.

 

Tetleytea, I probably shot 7 or 8 rolls. I could have shot twice as many. I have never seen so many whales at once, on all sides of boat at same time in groups of three, four and more. Our video is even better. Whales are hard to capture what you actually see. No real breeching, but bubble feeding, flippering, and just rolling around on the surface were things we had never seen before. I was using a 400 Tokina lens with my Nikon 8008s.

[BlessedAgain]

Thanks for the feedback.....We are planning the same thing, to fly out of Talkeetna on our way to Denali. Just in case we run into rain like you did we will be covered. What did you do in ISP?

[JohnQ]

Whalewatch tour was 3-3.5hrs last yr and scheduled right in middle of morning so it was hard to do much else. We walked beach and nature trail, toured cannery, talked with early morning staff and Koo Hook and watched dancing on beach after tour. Would liked to have done bear tour if timing had been better. You had to allow about an hour or more total for tendering, to and from.

[dcalfine]

Koo Hook-

 

Just found you. Where are you these days? I was on the last Glacier Bay cruise of the 2002 season with you. It was Kent Morse's last cruise. Since then my Alaska connection has been my cousin and her family, who live in Copper Center where her husband is principal of the Kenny Lake High School. Their daughter just graduated from Boston College, so they have been coming here a lot. And a college classmate has recently started wroking as a legislative aide in Juneau.

 

I missed the article David Laskin wrote for the New York Times when it appeared in the paper, but it is still accessible on the web:

 

http://travel2.nytimes.com/mem/travel/article-page.html?res=980CE7DA1139F931A35751C0A9659C8B63

 

Sorry to post this here, but I misplaced your e-mail address, and this board seems to have no private messaging facility.

[Kira10]

Koo Hook - thanks so much again for starting this informative thread. I have been following since your original thread over a year ago and have learned much. We are making decisions regarding our Hoonah excursions in Sept. and are interested in the remote bush tour and the possibility of seeing bears and other wildlife. However we have already be told by others on this board and independent companies in Ketchikan that bear viewing will be over by the 2nd week of Sept. Is the same true at Spasski River? The tour sounds interesting in any case as it seems to tour Hoonah and the rainforest, but we don't want to get our hopes up re bears if the chances are slim. I know every year is different too, but any insights on this you can give are much appreciated! Can't wait to visit Sept. 8th!

Thanks!

 

Kira

[janet212]

Hello, We'll be in ISP on June 13th. We're looking to spend our money for a whale watching trip with the local natives, not the cruise line. Can anyone tell me who I may contact to reserve such a whale watching trip?

[janet212]

We'll be in ISP on June 13th and are looking for a whale watching trip. Is your trip booked only through the cruise line or may we book directly? We'd rather put money into your local economy than the cruise line! Thanks so much.

[Char]

Hey Janet212 :D

 

I did a lot of research on whale watching in ISP and came to the conclusion that Floyd and Marjorie Peterson would be the best ones. I came up with the following info taken from a couple of sources and put it together for my benefit. We are booked with them on June 13th along with 2 other couples. They only take 6 out and you spend about 4 hours total. There are facilities on their boat.

After thought! I didn't realize you would be there the same day tht we are until I re-read your post! Bummer--we got the good one. I understand that all the private boats have been booked for that date. You could email Marjorie and ask her if she has any recommendations.

 

Here is what convinced me to book with them:

 

Our hosts while in Hoonah were Floyd and Marjorie Peterson, former commercial fishermen who now make most of their living catering to sportsmen and tourists. They operate FISHES which stands for Floyd's Icy Straights Highliner Enterprising Services. They also run the Whalewatch Lodge and B&B.

 

 

 

The Petersons are a team in every aspect of the word. Each is capable of doing any job required on the boat and complement each other very well. As we headed out of the harbor, Marjorie prepared the rods for Tom, Linda and I to use. She then took over driving the boat while Floyd lowered the down riggers and set the lines.

 

 

 

Back at the dock Marjorie set up her cutting board and quickly and efficiently dressed our fish. That lady is good with a knife. She has dressed as many as 700 salmon a day when she and Floyd were fishing commercially and she doesn't waste a stroke.

 

 

 

Floyd, who was born in Juneau and has lived most of his life in Hoonah, is part Tlingit. Marjorie, part Eskimo, is a Bethel, Alaska native.

 

Soon we saw activity ahead. As we drew closer we were thrilled to see a large pod of humpback whales. Floyd cut the engine and we drifted as the large mammals cavorted around the boat feeding on herring, blowing, and porpoising. What a site it was. We even got to listen to the whales thanks to a hydrophone that was lowered into the water.

 

 

 

They have taken delivery of a new boat they designed and had constructed to better meet their charter operation. It is a PackCat catamaran manufactured in Edmunds, Washington and is 35 feet long and 12 feet wide. The vessel is powered by two 225 Yamaha outboards that will make it three times faster than the MarChele. Now more time will be spent fishing or whale watching and less getting to and from.

 

You can reach Floyd and Marjorie Peterson at F.I.S.H.E.S., P.O. Box 245, Hoonah, AK 99829, or 907-945-3327, or fishes@hoonah.net.

 

[Char]

We'll be in ISP on June 13th and are looking for a whale watching trip. Is your trip booked only through the cruise line or may we book directly? We'd rather put money into your local economy than the cruise line! Thanks so much.

 

We haven't seen you on the roll call for the Infinity 6/9 cruise.:eek: We have a very active group--please pop in and introduce yourself. We are planning to get together at sailaway and the Connections party and a lot of us have excursions planned together. Here's the roll call link (we have over 3500 posts!)--> Roll Call Infinity to Alaska 6/09/2005

 

We also have a web page with lots of useful info. Drop by there as well. --> Alaska Cruise 2005

 

Hoope to meet you :p

[quickfingers]

Char,

 

This is why my family chose Marjorie and Floyd. We called Floyd on a Sunday morning. He was very happy to answer all the questions that we had about the whale watching cruise. My wife, who is the sceptical one that does not like small boats, was very confident that our family would have a great time with Floyd. The speed of the boat, the size of the boat and the length of the trip convinced me that this was the best value for our money. The chance to hear the whales was another factor. We will be able to stop when we want to. If we see something on the shore, like a bear, we can stop and watch.

 

 

Both Marjorie and Floyd to seem to be very easy going people. 80% of their business is from repeat customers. They will even serve a snack on the cruise.

 

For an extra $15, I can drop a line in the water to fish while we are out. YIPPPIIEEEE!!!

[Chookenshaa]

our weather has been sooooo hot you truly would not believe it. I hope everyone is getting excited about their upcoming vacations to our island paradise that we call home.

Bear sightings have been good already this year, Sunday and Monday afternoon I had a small one wander into my back yard while I was laying down taking a break from practicing what my husband calls my rock relocation program. I am building a rock garden as a divider between our deck which is also a work in progress and the upper tier of the back yard.. Laying among some forget me nots and buttercups looking up at the bright blue clouds and feeling wonderfully lazy and relaxed, I heard the distinctive crashing of underbrush and whoofing that is a tell tale sign of my brother the bear. He made it a point to show up the next afternoon at the same time I am assuming to check on my progress.

The Icy Strait Point season is finally underway!!!! Woo Hoo!! I have had so much fun already this year, have met some truly incredible people and look forward to more of the same. All of our excursions are up and running and if I do say so myself better even than last year. And yes you can book our excursions through the cruise line ahead of time, they do that as a courtesy to you our guests and to help us out since they are our private excursions.

I am sure that Koo Hook will be on here soon, we have been putting in a lot of hours lately so have had a hard time finding a way to the computer..

 

 

Chookenshaa

[CruisingChick]

Chookenshaa,

 

Thank you so very much for posting. You have made me even more excited about our upcoming trip to ISP. We are doing the Remote Bush Exploration with Brown Bear Search. We will be in ISP on July 12 on Celebrity Summit and hope we get a chance to meet you and Koo Hook.

 

Thanks again for stoping by and posting.

 

Anne Maria

[SEPyle]

Chookenshaa,

 

Thanks so much for checking in! We know you are all busy with the new season just beginning! We visited your beautiful little piece of heaven on our 5/20 Summit cruise! It was for us, the high point of our glorious cruise and tour of Alaska! Trust me when I say, since we loved every moment of our time in Alaska, saying Icy Strait Point is our favorite destination is saying a lot! We chose the flight-seeing over Glacier Bay which was beyond words. Combining the beautiful views looking down on the full path of Glaciers that few people ever see with perfect weather made this worth every penny! I must also add, this is an expensive excursion, but in my opinion well worth the cost!

 

Now for the best of Icy Strait: The people; the Land: I have never visited a place where the local people were so friendly and willing to share their culture and their ways. We spent over 1/2 hour simply visiting with Louie, who introduced his children when they came by then his wife. He helped me to learn the pronuncation for greeting Koo Hook! When we met Koo Hook, I did my best, and he threw his welcoming arms around me! After leaving Louie we strolled thru the beautiful tall strait trees and marveled at the peaceful path that layed before us! Don't miss this experience!

 

The next part I hope people really hear me. Since Kathy Marvin was still in the process of hand making my husbands moccassins, we stayed till the very last tender. By doing so we were able to sit and soak up the sounds of the beat as Koo Hook and friends danced and sang to the drums!. I sat there, literally having a front row seat, thinking how fortunate I was to at that very moment. We have many pictures that I will post as soon as possible! Kathy finished Don's prized moccassins right after 5pm and we were off on the tender. People who went back to the ship early missed so much! They weren't performing, they were celebrating their heritage, their culture and their heart!

 

I'm so proud of Celebrity and Royal Caribbean for investing in these great people! I truly hope they don't spoil this beautiful place by allowing too many ships! Oh yes, by the way, the shops in the building with the museum is where the locals sell their crafts. I really felt like I was supporting the local ecomomy by buying beautiful jewelry here!

 

For those of you who will be visiting soon, I am truly envious!

 

Sharon

[denamo]

Chookenshaa,

Thanks so much for the update on the 2005 cruise season that is already underway. We are very excited about coming to ISP and will be there June 29.

 

Sharon,

Thanks for your wonderful review of your experiences while in ISP. This will be a new port for us, so we are very excited to go. Your review makes the anticipation of our upcoming trip all the more tantilizing!

 

Thanks to all for the posts in this thread. It has been so fun to read everything.

 

denamo

[charliem]

My wife and I will be in ISP in early August of this year and I would like to do some fishing on my own. I intend to fish, unguided, in as many ports as possible and our budget will not permit this many guide trips. If you can help me with suggested locations within walking distance of the dock it would be greatly appreciated. Please email me at my wife's address of lindamarable@yahoo.com.

 

Thanks for your help.

[chatty kathy]

I spent at least two hours searching for info on this port. Really non-existant info so thank you to all who are posting here. Our group just booked the whale watching/fishing excursion with fishes. So far - so great. REally nice people to talk to and we can't wait. I'll be sure to do a post trip "post".

 

With on officail web page for the operator or the location it is nice to have this as our resource. Happy vacation!

 

Chatty Kathy

[Chookenshaa]

Cruising Chick,

All you have to do to meet us is ask somebody to call us on their radio, if Koo Hook isn't on the whale watch boat he will come to meet you. The same goes for myself, if I am not tied up with something medical wise I would love to meet you face to face.

 

SEPyle,

You have got it exactly, the true feel of our home. I just love to hear somebody from far away come to our island and express themselves the way you did. You truly understand how we feel. Gunalcheesh!

 

Denamo,

The days are getting closer until your visit at Icy Strait Point, I look forward to meeting you!!!

 

Charliem

I watched a fellow cruiser pull in three very nice trout right off the neech (shoreline) when the Summit was in port this past week. He was fishing by the ceremonial fire right off the boardwalk.

 

CHatty Kathy,

When are you coming to ISP? Yes the information about our village on the world wide web is kind of scarce. I think in a few more years it will get better.

[lrn376]

Chookenshaa, Good evening. I have spoken to Koo Hook many times It is now nice to speak to you. Hoping you know the answer to this question. I will be in ISP on June 28, 2005 on the Celebrity Summit. I will be on the 8:30 a.m. whale watch from the ship. Rumor has it that the 8;30 a.m. excursion will have a pick up at the boat.(otherwise I will be tendered to shore) Can you please confirm this. Anxiously awaiting my visit to ISP to meet your people. I have only read many wonderful things about the people of ISP. Looking forward to hearing from you. Lois

[Chookenshaa]

We too have heard that the whale watch vessel is soon to tied up along side the cruise line ship and disembark that way. So far it has not happened yet, everybody has been taking a tender boat to our dock and boarding from there. I will try and remember to ask someone tomorrow when I go in and get ready for our next ship day and let you know.

[uktog]

Dear friends

I am finding this thread so exciting - it is three months before I will be with you and I am so excited that I managed to get a trip on the bear watching excursion - though I know in Sept the bears may not be so plentiful.

 

I was thinking I would do my souvenir shopping at ISP as it feels much more genuine - what shops can you point me to and what gifts might I buy bearing in mind I have to get them back to the UK.

Also is there a liquor store in ISP if we want to sort out supplies for a picnic by the shore that day

Oh I hope these three months go quickly!!!!!

[Chiliswick]

We are leaving Sept 3rd for Alaska, which ship are you on?

M

[uktog]

Looks like the same as you - the Infinity from San Francisco

[mii]

We just got back from Alaska on the Celebrity Infinity and we were in Icy Strait June 2. I have been having a running conversation with Koo Hook on this thread and I actually got the pleasure of meeting him. When we docked I asked a woman where he was and it ended up being his sister-inlaw. He had just gotten off of the whale watching boat and to make a long story short my DH and I got a chance to speak with him. He is very personable, loves his Icy Strait home and he is a great ambassador of Ocy Strait. For all who will be going there it is a beautiful place. It was terrific weather, they have some fine shops there, you can walk to the town of Hoonah but it is about 1 1/2 mile to waslk but they do have shuttles for a fee. Not expensive at all. I am truly glad I got to finally meet Koo Hook. If you have any questions I will try to answer them.

 

Marilyn

[flashdog_1]

I asked this question on another thread and got no response.

 

From what I've read on the threads, the "dock" is not completed yet. So where does the tender drop you? What is immediately in the vecinity at the tender drop? I guess I'm asking if it comes in at a commercial point or an isolated place. We don't walk long distances well. Are taxis available? How did you find out about a shuttle? Where do you catch it in relation to the location of the tender drop? Can you remember the costs involved?

 

My travel mate has a friend who lives there for the season and we don't know if we will catch up with him for any rides, so wanted to know the options other than a cruise booked tour. thanks