See walruses and reindeer on St. Lawrence Island.

Savoonga and Gambell are the only 2 communities still in existence on St. Lawrence Island, which lies 164 miles west of the Alaskan mainland. Reindeer were introduced to the island in 1900 after a famine in the late 1800s. The herd is no longer managed, but reindeer make up part of the subsistence diet of the island residents. Known as the “Walrus Capital of the World,” Savoonga’s residents rely on walruses not only for a substantial portion of their diet, but also for their ivory. Savoonga is well known for the exceptional quality of the ivory carvings produced there. It is not uncommon for residents living elsewhere in the state to return to the village during the walrus-hunting season.

The indigenous culture here is the Siberian Yupik, who share language and heritage with the Siberian Yupik of the Chukotka Peninsula in the Russian Far East. Families that once traveled freely from one country to another were separated during the Cold War. In the early 1980's, families were reunited, and once again can travel back and forth. Special provisions allow island residents to travel between the two countries without a visa. Siberian Yupik is the first language of those who live here, and their heritage is strong, with traditional festivals held to celebrate the Yupik way of life.

St. Lawrence Island is jointly owned by Savoonga and Gambell. The communities chose not to participate in the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (ANCSA) of 1981, and instead were given title to 1.136 million acres.

According to the 2000 census, there are approximately 700 Savoonga residents living in 160 housing units and 640 residents living in Gambell in 187 housing units.

Visit the Tsimshian Natives in Metlakatla.

Metlakatla is the only native reservation in Alaska, home to approximately 1,400 of the only Tsimshian Natives in the state, and a unique introduction to the native people of the Pacific Northwest.

The Tsimshian are primarily a coastal tribe of British Columbia, Canada, but in 1887 this band of Tsimshians immigrated with the permission and protection of the United States and under the guidance of their Anglican clergyman, Father William Duncan, to form a model community.

Situated on Annette Island just a short distance away from Ketchikan and right across the border from Canada, the residents of Metlakatla work together to provide for their community. Commercial fishing and processing is the lifeblood of the town, and you will see Annette Island Packing Company perched on stilts over the water. It's been in operation since 1890, and depending on what time of the summer you visit, it may be in operation. Many of the salmon come from Metlakatla's fish traps, the only such traps still allowed in Alaska. Looking for ways to supplement the slump in the timber industry, the town just recently opened a bottled water production facility and is working to market the product to outside consumers.

This small community represents a unique example of how ancient rituals can be interwoven with modern life and the values of the west.

Step back in time to the Gold Rush days of Skagway.

As you sail into Skagway, you are immediately transported back to 1898. You gaze from the bow of the ship and can just imagine the bustling streets teeming with Stampeders buying last-minute supplies from the multitude of false-fronted businesses that line the boardwalk.

In 1898, Skagway was a destination hot spot for over 20,000 men and women with dreams of hiking either the Chilkoot Trail or White Pass to reach their final destination, the gold fields of the Klondike.

Today, Skagway is again a preferred destination, popular with history buffs wanting to explore parts of the Klondike Gold Rush International Historical Park, one of the longest in the world, encompassing the whole Inside Passage from Pioneer Square in Seattle all the way to Dawson City in the Yukon Territory. Skagway is also a hit with train enthusiasts who dream of riding the narrow gauge rails of the White Pass & Yukon Route railroad, an International Historical Civil Engineering Landmark, built in 1898 and completed 110 miles later in 1900.

Follow in the footsteps of Amundsen, Peary, and Byrd.

The Arctic Circle circumscribes the Earth at 66.5 degrees north of the Equator. It is the southern limit of the northern frigid zone and where, for one or more days each year, the sun does not set or rise. The 66th Parallel demarcation zone crowns the globe with a region of intense unique beauty and icy remoteness and circles the regions of the Russian Far East, Siberia, Alaska, Canada, Greenland, Iceland, and Scandinavia. Far removed from the world’s general populace, its indigenous peoples have survived in and adapted to a severe environment few of us could imagine.

It is thought that areas within the Arctic Circle were first explored in the 9th–12th centuries by the Norse, followed by 16th–17th century explorers searching for the Northwest Passage. Martin Frobisher discovered the southern part of Baffin Island (1576–78), and Henry Hudson navigated the eastern coast of Hudson Bay (1610–11). Later explorers included Roald Amundsen, Fridtjof Nansen, Robert E. Peary, and Richard E. Byrd. Major whaling communities were established in the Arctic during the 1700s and 1800s, taking advantage of the bountiful, if not treacherous ice-laden seas. Development of the area's natural resources was spurred by the discovery of oil in Alaska in the 1960s and now virtually all of the Arctic has been mapped. Because this region is so rich in mineral and natural resources, it has become a target for economic development, and simultaneously for protection of the world’s last true wilderness by conservationists and environmentalists.

Look for humpbacks breaching in Frederick Sound.

Frederick Sound is a body of water approximately 45 miles wide in the central part of Southeast Alaska, at the confluence of Portage Bay (West), lower Stephens Passage (North), and Chatham Strait between the communities of Juneau (North) and Petersburg (South). Frederick Sound is only accessible by boat or air.

Abundant krill (small, shrimp-like crustaceans), zooplankton and herring thrive in the glacially fed waters of Frederick Sound, making it one of the premier places in Alaska to observe feeding humpback whales. It is estimated that over 500 of the 1,000 humpbacks that migrate annually to Alaska from Hawaiian breeding grounds head particularly to Frederick Sound to feed in its super nutrient-rich waters. Marine mammals in the sound also include orcas (killer whales), Steller's sea lions, Dall’s porpoise, and harbor seals. A variety of seabirds thrive in this region as well and can be observed flying overhead or flocking after the whale’s watery leftovers, creating a great clue to where the humpbacks might be. Surrounding the sound are the majestic craggy snow-covered mountains of the Coast Range rising from the sea to grand heights of 10,000 feet.

Home of the 8,200-foot Pavlov Volcano

The village of Unga, on the island of the same name, is now uninhabited, abandoned in 1969. Most residents have relocated to the new community of Sand Point, which is on neighboring Shumagin Island. The name Shumagin was given to this group of over a dozen islands by members of Vitus Bering’s expedition to honor one of their own who died there.

Unga, like many of the islands in this region, is rich in minerals. Coal and gold mining in this region first occurred on Unga, lasting until the early 1900s. There was renewed interest in Unga’s gold in the 1980s, although no one has come forward to actively pursue mining.

In addition to mining, fishing was central to the development of Unga. Over the years, however, Sand Point has become the focal point for fish processing in this part of the Aleutians. Cod, halibut, and salmon have been the primary catch, not only for the cash economy, but also for subsistence. Residents supplement their diets with other marine life, including shellfish and a variety of kelp.

Visitors of Unga Island may see arctic fox, bald eagles, and seals. This is also a beautiful place to view tundra wildflowers. One of the island’s more unique features is the abundance of ancient petrified wood along the shoreline.

As Alaska's largest city, Anchorage is the hub of the state.

Anchorage is the largest community in Alaska with 270,000 residents. The town was founded in 1914, and within 1 year, the Alaska Railroad made Anchorage its hub. In 1915, Anchorage became a tent city of 2,000 people following the "Great Anchorage Lot Sale." The land auction sold lots for an average of $225 each. The city of Anchorage became officially incorporated in 1920. Major military impact allowed for the growth of Anchorage between 1939 and 1957. Roads were built and airports were constructed, allowing for continual growth of the city, and the port of Anchorage was completed in the early 1960s.

In 1964, the Good Friday Earthquake demolished a large part of the town. The quake registered 9.2 on the Richter Scale, killing 131 people. Downtown Anchorage and residential areas suffered massive land slide damage. During the 1970s, Anchorage experienced another major economic boom with the construction of the Trans-Alaska Pipeline. The economy continues to thrive on natural resource production, along with finance and real estate, government agencies, tourism and transportation.

Downtown Anchorage offers a variety of shops and enjoyable cafes and restaurants. You will enjoy your day of sightseeing, traveling south along the Turnagain Arm, a beautiful trip by motorcoach to view Cook Inlet, and looking for mountain goats along the Chugach Mountain Range. You will visit the Alyeska Resort and partake in a scenic tram ride to the summit. Later in the day you will travel northeast to the Alaska Native Heritage Center and have the wonderful opportunity to learn about the various native cultures in Alaska. Members of different tribes conduct education workshops, discussing their history, customs, and way of life.

Admire the beauty of Misty Fiords' granite cliffs and shrouded forests.

Misty Fiords is south of Ketchikan on the border with Canada. As we begin our journey into Behm Canal, the seemingly quiet entrance becomes more and more narrow as we pass New Eddie Stone Rock. This geologic oddity is the remnant of a “volcanic plug” rising out of the middle of this passage, and named for resembling a lighthouse back in England by Captain George Vancouver. It is just the first glimpse at many of the geological features seen while in the Misty Fiords National Monument. In addition to enjoying the beauty of the landscape and waterways, visitors may spot whales, porpoise, and orca.

This national monument was created in 1980 and consists of over two million acres. Misty Fiords was carved out by the last great North American glaciation, leaving narrow winding granite walls to guide our ship deep into the wilderness. Many of these winding passageways open to large granite amphitheaters of rock rising some 3,000 feet out of the water. One, aptly named “Punchbowl Cove,” looks just like that, and it is as if our small ship is floating in a giant bowl of granite. This protected wilderness area is a place where we may spot brown bear and mountain goats. As if by magic, the forest holds onto these steep walls and flourishes on incredibly abrupt slopes coming down to the waters edge. It is common to see bald eagles here swooping down from these trees to take salmon out of the water. Often the mist and clouds will hover throughout the fiord, shrouding your whole experience in what seems like a dream. Cruising through Misty Fiords is like traveling through a mystical storybook, with epic walls of rock and deep, dark forests winding through small canyons and passages. You will never know or guess what lies around the next corner.

Enter the surreal world of Tracy Arm and the twin Sawyer Glaciers.

Tracy Arm quickly becomes a favorite place for those who visit. It is perhaps one of the most dramatic locations in all of North America. This fantastic fjord rivals if not surpasses the fjords of Norway and New Zealand. Completely protected within the Tongass National Forest, this fjord stretches some 25 miles up into the Coastal Range Mountains. These snow- and glacier-filled mountains over 7,000 feet tall drop immediately to sea level. We will be surrounded by sheer 1,500-to 2,000-foot walls of granite falling into the extremely narrow passage, creating countless waterfalls and strange rock formations covered in forest, and trees hanging onto precipices at impossible angles. Bears, mountain goats, and other fur-bearing animals live here, on a terrain you would think has to be devoid of such large animals. You might spot a bear in a spot that does not look possible.

Twisting and turning, not being able to see what is around the next corner, you will be presented with a continual flow of scenery that could only be compared to Yosemite National Park but filled with over 1,000 feet of water! Here killer whales come to prey upon harbor seals who think they have safely hauled out on the ice to give birth or molt their fur. Each turn will present a new view of waterfalls and “u”-shaped valleys, carved out by ice in the not-so-distant past.

At the head of the arm is our true destination, the two Sawyer glaciers that carved out the fjord. As we make our way to the head of the fjord, we will pass through a field of icebergs that will bump into the ship as we push them out of the way. We will be entering a surreal world you could not imagine, with ice more blue than the sky itself. When we arrive at the face of the glaciers, we will no doubt see hundreds of harbor seals laying on the ice. If we are fortunate, a building-size piece of ice will break off the glacier's face only to crash and thunder into the water below, creating massive waves that will rock our ship as our guests cheer.

Keep your camera poised as we search for wildlife in Glacier Bay.

Glacier Bay Park and Preserve is reportedly the most sought after park to visit in the United States and it is no wonder. Where else will you find a 25 mile-long river of ice still carving the land just as it has for the past several thousand years? When Captain Cook and George Vancouver sailed by in 1879, they saw a 20-mile wide glacier where today the entrance of the park lies, as well the wilderness lodge and park headquarters. Over the past 200 years, this wall of ice has retreated an astonishing 65 miles north, splintering into a vast number of tributaries spaced throughout the entire park. Each glacier has its own name and character; our captain will decide which to visit for the day depending on ice conditions and wildlife sightings.

Visiting Glacier Bay Park is also like visiting a wildlife park. Here bears, goats, moose, whales, sea otters, and all the creatures of the water and forest flourish, completely protected from man. A National Park Interpreter will join us on this day for our entire journey. He or she will explain the park's geology, glaciology, wildlife, and its deep roots in Tlingit culture, bringing the park alive on a level that will keep you engaged the entire time we are there.

Explore Tlingit and Russian culture in Sitka.

Sitka lies in the shadow of the Mt. Edgecumbe volcano. This dormant volcano is unlikely to erupt in your presence, as it has not done so in 6,000 years. The ancient crater adds to the energy of a landscape that is interwoven with the Tlingit and Russian cultures that make up Sitka’s past and present. Sitka was the Russian Capitol of Alaska before it was sold to the United States in 1867. The remnants of its architecture, also known as the “Paris of the Pacific,” are all still apparent, especially with St. Michael's Russian Orthodox Cathedral which dominates the town’s skyline. In the middle of town, the Tlingit ceremonial long house will also capture your attention. It is these two cultures, the Russian and the Tlingit, that in times past clashed and fought fiercely in Sitka. The Tlingit ultimately were defeated in their right to govern themselves here, however it is the Tlingit who persisted and live here today.

No visit to Sitka is complete without visiting the Sheldon Jackson Museum. This museum represents a vast collection of artifacts from all over Alaska, presented in an intimate and fun way you can explore on your own. Immediately adjoining the museum is the Sitka National Historic Park, where many totem poles stand in the mist-shrouded forest. When you walk here among the icons of the Pacific Northwest in their natural setting, it is as if you are stepping back to a time long forgotten. Sitka is situated on the edge of the Pacific Ocean, and it is here that the raw swells can be seen crashing on the islands protecting its inner harbor and fishing fleet.

While in Sitka, there are options to kayak, hike, bike, and/or visit the world famous Raptor Rehabilitation Center where you can come within inches of bald and golden eagles, just to name a few. These birds are here for medical attention and recovery from injury. Some may not have the ability to re-enter the wild. A guided tour of the facilities and a demonstration showing how magnificent and noble these raptors are will be available, and often leaves our guests speechless.

Surround yourself in Norwegian culture in Petersburg.

Visiting Petersburg is like visiting a little bit of Scandinavia. In 1890, Norwegian immigrant Peter Buschmann arrived and saw that he could use the ice from the nearby LeConte Glacier to build a mill and fish-packing plant at the head of Wrangle Narrows on Mitkoff Island. He chose this location because it reminded him of his beloved homeland. This tiny town, with a population of about 3,300, makes its living off salmon and halibut fishing, and still holds much of the Old World charm and character of a small European town. Homes are decorated with flower boxes and other Scandinavian traditions. Here we will be introduced to Norwegian culture at the Sons of Norway Hall, where we will meet the town children dressed in traditional clothes, and enjoy a performance of time-honored Norwegian dances along with homemade food. The water's edge and the rainforest surround this tiny town, making you feel as if you are in a tiny slice of Europe. Remnants of old Tlingit fish traps and ancient petroglyphs lie just outside of town. There will be opportunities for free time, flightseeing, and rainforest walks. Only Cruise West can deliver such an intimate visit to this small town.

Follow the gold prospectors of old through scenic Lynn Canal.

Lynn Canal is a spectacular fjord in Southeast Alaska, 90 miles long and 7 to 12 miles wide. Its southern border connects with Chatham Strait and Stephens Passage and carves north between majestic mountains into the inlets of the Chilkoot and Chilkat Rivers. This navigable passageway connects Skagway, Haines, and Juneau, Alaska, and was the last leg of the voyage north to the gold fields in 1896. Lynn Canal remains an important water transportation highway within northern Southeast Alaska, with stunning scenery of jade-green water lined with jagged mountain peaks topped by icy blue hanging glaciers.

Visit the bustling port of Prince Rupert.

Prince Rupert is located on Kaien Island at the mouth of the Skeena River, on the southeastern edge of the U.S./Canada water boundary of Dixon Entrance. Prince Rupert is approximately 40 miles south of Alaska's southernmost boundary, 950 miles north of Vancouver, and 447 miles west of the city of Prince George on Highway 16. The city's population is 14, 643, and annual precipitation averages approximately 8 feet. Average summer temperature is 60 degrees F; winter averages 28 degrees F.
The community of Prince Rupert began as the western terminus of the second Canadian transcontinental railroad and continues today as a transportation center, linking the northern Canadian Pacific Coast to the rest of Canada as well as to Alaska by state ferry or to Vancouver Island on the British Columbia ferry system.

The bountiful North Pacific has always provided well for the coastal inhabitants of British Columbia. Tsimshian and Haida First Nations have lived on the shores of this region for thousands of years. Some archaeological sites of ancient villages are dated back 5,000 years or more on the islands around Prince Rupert. The Historic Museum of Northern British Columbia has documented this history of their First Nations from contact with fur traders and missionaries on to present day activities.

The economic heart and passion of Prince Rupert is commercial and sport fishing of salmon, halibut, crab and prawns. Prince Rupert is also a leading Northwest port, exporting lumber, grain, coal and potash in the billions of dollars each year. Today this port offers all the amenities of a larger city with a friendly small town attitude. A tour of this community reveals a performing arts center, golf course, swimming pool, and civic center with reproductions of cedar totem poles that were carved hundreds of years ago.

Look for the marine life and birds that flock to the Gulf of Alaska.

The Gulf of Alaska is the northernmost region of the North Pacific Ocean, bordering the south coast of Alaska. The Gulf's shoreline stretches from the Alexander Archipelago at Cape Spencer to Kodiak Island and the Alaskan Peninsula. The coastline is deeply indented by various fjords and inlets and has a surface area of 592,000 square miles. The Gulf's 2 largest inlets are Cook Inlet and Prince William Sound, with the Kenai Peninsula separating the two inlets and extending southeast toward Kodiak Island. The Copper and Susitna Rivers are the major fresh water tributaries into the Gulf of Alaska. Its major ports include Anchorage, Seward and Valdez, North America's northernmost ice-free port. The Aleutian Low Pressure system dominates the Gulf's climate. The steep mountains along this coastline capture much of the significant rainfall that occurs here, creating the third largest icefield in the world, with glaciers covering 20 percent of the Gulf of Alaska watersheds. The first non-native to chart this body of water was Captain James Cook, who entered the Gulf in 1778 on his search for the great Northwest Passage.

The northern Gulf of Alaska is one of the world's most productive ecosystems, providing millions of dollars annually with its seafood extraction, tourism, and recreation industries. The complex biodiversity of the Gulf alone contains 287 known species of fish, 25 species of marine mammals, and 26 species of seabirds, and is home to more than half of Alaska's human inhabitants.

The Gulf of Alaska supports one of the largest and most diverse populations of marine birds in the northern hemisphere. More than 100 million birds of over 100 species depend on Alaska marine ecosystems during some part of their life cycle. These include loons, grebes, and waterfowl, as well as typical marine birds such as shearwaters, gulls, and alcids. At least three-fourths of these species breed in Alaska, and the rest are visitors from a wide variety of locations throughout the Pacific Ocean. Some visitors are transequatorial migrants from as far away as Antarctica. Of the 25 species of marine mammals in the Gulf, some of the most commonly observed species are the gray whale, Northern sea lion, harbor seal, California sea lion, sea otters, orcas and humpback whales.

Visit one of the most remote, wildlife-rich regions of the north.

In order to appreciate the Bering Sea, one must have an appreciation for complex relationships and the balance in nature. This harsh, and often deadly, marine environment has devastated coastal communities, yet the indigenous cultures that arrived here as recently as 10,000 years ago survive by the sea, and would likely perish elsewhere.

The Bering Sea is teeming with fish, crustaceans, sea birds, and mammals, all of which are essential to the subsistence and cash economy of the region. Here, you will find more of everything: several hundred species of birds, nesting in colonies that number in the thousands; millions of fur seals in centuries-old birthing grounds; the world's largest concentration of walruses; and one of the world's richest and most productive fisheries. One of the most dramatic migrations of marine mammals occurs here as this is the summer destination of the gray whales, which winter in the Sea of Cortés between January and March.

The Bering Sea, most scientists believe, stands as an indicator of climate change. Changes in the population of marine life, variations in sea ice, and warming of the ocean itself are noticeable measures of the physical and biological components of the ecosystem, although the effects are not yet completely understood. Each year ice may extend 600 miles south of the Bering Strait.

Named for Vitus Bering, a Danish mariner hired by the Russian empire to chart the area between Russia and the west coast of North America, and ultimately to promote Russian trade and industry, the Bering Sea is today as much of a scientific mystery as it was in 1741 when Bering and Georg Steller set out in uncharted waters. The second Kamchatka Expedition, with the vessels St. Peter and St. Paul, covered tremendous territory, and would change the course of history. Bering, commanding the St. Peter, ultimately discovered the Aleutian Islands. It was on this fateful voyage that Bering, sickened by scurvy, landed on an uninhabited island and eventually died. That island is now known as Bering Island.

Follow Vitus Bering to the Pribilof Islands.

Gerasim Pribylov, a Russian fur trader, is credited for discovering the islands which now bear his name, although an ancient Aleutian legend describes the story of a young man named Igadik, who, after observing the migration of pregnant seals, ventured into the sea to follow the seals and was caught in a storm. He swiftly paddled his badairka in the direction of barking noises and there he found the island inhabited by fur seals. The Pribilofs, as they are now known, consist of five islands north of the Aleutian chain. The community of St. George is on the island of the same name, and is the southern-most of five islands in the Pribilofs. The largest island in the Pribilofs is St. Paul, originally named St. Peter and St. Paul Island, after the two vessels of Vitus Bering's second expedition.

Hundreds of species of birds nest on these islands, and over one million fur seals call the black sand beaches home during the summer months.

The first Aleuts to inhabit the islands were relocated from elsewhere along the Aleutian chain during the Russian era in Alaska. During World War II, residents were relocated to Southeast Alaska, where many succumbed to disease and malnutrition. After the war, however, a large number of residents chose to return to the islands, and through their determination, created communities of their own. Although commercial seal harvesting was ended in 1983, residents are still able to harvest seals for subsistence purposes. Commercial fishing and tourism are being developed to diversify the economy. As in much of rural Alaska, the Russian Orthodox church has a significant role in these communities.

The weather in the Pribilofs can be extreme and harsh as the islands are not sheltered from frontal systems coming across the Bering Sea. Most trees do not survive the winds. In addition to wind, St. George and St. Paul receive an average of 23 inches of rain and 57 inches of snowfall. This arctic maritime climate ranges temperatures from 19 to 52 degrees Fahrenheit.

Discover the austere beauty of the Aleutian Islands.

The more than 200 Aleutian Islands stretch westward for 1,200 miles from the southwest corner of mainland Alaska. Attu is the farthest island from the Alaska mainland and Unimak the closest. Separating the Pacific Ocean from the Bering Sea, these volcanic islands, at first glance, may seem barren and desolate. Upon closer inspection, however, you will find an abundance of life and breathtaking beauty. Virtually treeless, a variety of grasses, wildflowers, and berries grow in this region. The vivid colors are often a surprising find in this gray and foggy environment. The delicate nature of some of these plants seems to belie the harsh environment in which they thrive.

The islands themselves are alive, as most are considered active volcanoes, part of the Pacific Ring of Fire. Not all of the eruptions are dramatic or devastating, but they do serve as a constant reminder of the untold and unpredictable forces of nature that have shaped this unique and awe-inspiring place.

Of course, the presence of humans has also done much to change life on these islands. First inhabited by the Unangans, as many as 20,000 people lived throughout the chain. With first contact, the culture would soon change. When the second Kamchatka Expedition returned to Russia with thousands of sea otter pelts, a directive was given to return and commence fur harvest and trade, forever changing the balance of nature and cultural composition on these islands.

In 1942 the Aleutian island of Attu gained the distinction of being the only location where World War II was fought on U.S. soil.

Today, the communities of the Aleutian Islands have carved out an important niche in the U.S. and international economy while preserving and sharing the traditional ways of the past.

Learn how Native Alaskans live off the land.

Subsistence is unfamiliar and uncommon to many of us, but is a way of life for many of the villagers we visit in the Bering Sea, Alaska, British Columbia, and even Central America. Most of the modern world is based on a cash economy, full-time employment and access to urban centers and markets where we are able to purchase what we need with the cash we make. In rural Alaska and Russia, many villages are located so far from urban centers that there are no full-time employers to provide income, and no markets where they can make purchases, therefore they rely on the land,the sea, the rivers, and each other to survive. What is caught is shared amongst everyone, young and old. Specialized products like seal oil are often traded among other communities for items that are usually unavailable to them, such as wood like willow, hemlock, birch, and spruce to build with.

It is no accident that many subsistence villages are located on or near the shores of a river or a lake, or on the coasts of the Pacific, Bering Sea, or Arctic Ocean. The natives rely on what they are able to take from the waters and the land to provide for their way of life. They look to the waters for various types of fish, whales, and walrus, and to the land for fox, caribou, nesting sea birds, and polar bears. They harvest the meat for food, use the walrus hides for skin boats, feathers and furs for parkas, mittens and boots, intestines for waterproof clothing, buoys and bags, and use the bones and sinew for sewing. The processing and drying of the meat is done as it has been for thousands of years. To round out their diet, berries and edible plants are gathered from the tundra and forests. You will see walrus meat and hides hanging to dry from wooden racks, and you may see and smell this year's whale kill as it lingers on the beach.

As you meet and learn about subsistence, you will also come to know the rich culture and traditions of each people. The stories of their hunts and traditions are told in song and dance by men and women dressed in traditional kuskpuk, mittens, and boots, and their stories are in the ivory carving of the walrus hunter or in the native doll to which hours of painstaking labor has been put into creating a miniature replica of a feather parka that dresses the doll.

Learn how the Athabascan culture lives on in present-day Alaska.

The Athabascan Indians of Alaska reside primarily within the interior of the state between the Brooks Range and the Alaska Range, occupying the largest geographic area of all the native cultures in Alaska. The exception is the Dena'ina tribe, which resides along the Cook Inlet shoreline.

There are 11 ethnic and linguistic subgroups in the Athabascan culture: the Ahtna, Dena'ina, Deg Hit'an, Holikachuk, Koyukon, Upper Kuskokwim, Tanana, Tanacross, Upper Tanana, Han and Gwich'in. Many of the linguistic groups can be linked to the Apache and Navajo groups of southwest America. The Gwich'in and the Koyukon groups have the largest number of native speakers, however many of them are elders. A decline in young speakers is becoming evident each year. The decline in native speakers is a common challenge throughout the state, one that native leaders are trying to solve. Other concerns include maintaining the intricate native artistry, such as the complex beadwork, clothing, and crafting of weapons and hunting tools. A beautiful spoken craft is that of storytelling, used to teach about cultural values and doctrine. This continues to be a very important part of Athabascan culture.

There are about 12,000 Athabascans living in Alaska. Most villages have satellite communication, television, and Internet access. Few homes have running water and flush toilets, and electricity is commonly provided by village-sponsored diesel-powered generators. Many individuals still live in remote areas inaccessible by road systems. Residents of remote native villages are dependent on the use of small aircraft for supplies and the use of all-terrain vehicles such as four wheelers and snow machines. Many natives still use dog sleds for hauling food and supplies and as a mode of transportation.

Athabascans continue to depend on subsistence hunting and gathering. Those groups, residing near bodies of water, rely upon salmon harvesting, along with white fish, grayling, moose, caribou, bear, berries, and birds. Those groups living further inland away from major rivers rely heavily on hunting caribou and moose. In addition to subsistence, some natives hold government jobs, working in the schools and in health facilities. Others work construction, or fish commercially.

Discover the Inupiat Eskimos' unique culture.

The Inupiat Eskimos inhabit the farthest north region in Alaska. An estimated 13,000 Inupiat live in the state, residing in their traditional homeland. Inupiat people also live in Anchorage, Fairbanks, and other Alaskan towns, often carrying on with traditional customs, such as the custom of sharing. This custom provides help and assistance within common social groups, such as assisting in a community member's life by helping with transportation, childcare, financial assistance, and food. This custom of helping can be traced back for thousands of years. However, requesting assistance is deemed inappropriate, because not everyone can partake in sharing. If you were to receive assistance, it is considered rude to give back immediately. Rather, favors should be returned over a long period of time, without drawing a great deal of attention.

Many Inupiats continue with traditional subsistence whaling and hunting. The entire community participates as clothing and food are prepared, supplies are gathered, and when the hunt is successful, everyone contributes to the dividing of the meat. Not all Inupiats partake in whaling. Some raise reindeer, a domesticated caribou, harvesting the meat and antlers. Others harvest walrus, seal, polar bear, grizzly bear, moose, caribou, a large variety of salmon and fish, waterfowl, and berries.

Bring lots of film when you cruise Prince William Sound.

Prince William Sound is a must-see if you believe that "big things come in small packages." Roughly the size of Puget Sound and 3 times the size of San Francisco Bay, Prince William Sound stretches nearly 70 miles both across and from top to bottom. Sailing the Sound brings visitors up-close and personal with centuries-old glacial ice, from small cirque glaciers (shallow bowls on high mountain peaks) to large tidewater glaciers (glaciers that end with their faces in water). It's exciting to watch these large rivers of ice drop huge pieces into the water right in front of you! Listen for the sound of the mass moving along; large fissures crack like rifle shots as the plummeting chunks of ice smack the water. As the glacier calves, it creates a chain reaction in the water, moving ice bits, bergs, and the sea life with it.

This area is steeped in history, with a diversity of names that indicate the people who left their mark here. You'll find Native, Russian, English, and Spanish names reflecting the pioneers who explored and lived in this area. Because the rugged and tall Chugach and Kenai Mountains cut off Prince William Sound from the interior, it's easy to pretend you are one of the first explorers to sail in these waters.

One of the shaping forces of Alaska is out in the Sound, the collision deep in the earth of the Pacific Plate with the North American Plate. It has lifted up the world's greatest coastal mountains, the Chugach. The highest peak in the Chugach Range, 13,176-foot Mount Marcus Baker, towers above Harvard Glacier in College Fjord. It's no wonder that copper, gold, and silver ores, among others, were found aplenty.

The incredible scenery -- narrow waterways, forest-covered islands, sea caves, marine mammals, and sea birds -- keeps visitors busy photographing, and with a maximum 19 hours of daylight around the summer solstice, there is plenty of time in which to do it. This is definitely color photography at its best. The color of the water changes from an eye-popping copper sulfate blue to the violet blue of the deep ocean. Close to glaciers the water turns a turbid gray from the glacier "flour" or silt that occurs as glaciers grind the rock on which they slide. We are able to get very close to these spectacles, making the experience richer, more poignant, and the photographs more spectacular: like being in a movie instead of just watching it. This is one place you shouldn't forget to bring plenty of film.

About 12,000 years ago, the glaciers that created this area began to recede, leaving 3,000 highly convoluted miles of shoreline surrounded on 3 sides by the Chugach Mountains and the Kenai Mountains to the west. The glaciers scoured the Earth's crust down to the granite roots of the Chugach range and dug out deep fjords, glacially carved valleys filled with seawater, creating the Sound and the rugged, sculpted Chugach Mountains. There are more breathtakingly beautiful tidewater glaciers surrounded by precipitous mountain peaks here than in the rest of Alaska. In all, there are over 20 glaciers terminating at sea level; numerous others cling to precipitous mountainsides. Of these, we see over half up-close and personal.

Watch the glacier parade in College Fjord.

In the summer of 1899, railroad magnate Edward H. Harriman, president of the Union Pacific Railroad and the Washington Academy of Sciences upon advice from his physician to take a sea voyage as an antidote to stress, funded a scientific expedition along the Alaskan coast. The two-month expedition, intended initially as a family vacation, eventually gathered an illustrious group of scientists, naturalists, writers, and artists, and combined scientific research with leisure activities.

It was the Harriman Expedition party who named College Fjord as well as the glaciers that line it. The dozen or so glaciers lining this fjord were named for the Ivy League schools that members of the party attended. On the northwest side of the fjord, the glaciers were named after the women's colleges, such as Smith, Bryn Mawr, Vassar, Wellesley, Barnard, and Holyoke. On the southeast side, the glaciers are named after men's colleges Harvard, Yale, Amherst, and Dartmouth.

Some of these glaciers have retreated since the original Harriman Expedition, but not the largest of them, Harvard. Harvard Glacier is 1-1/2 miles wide, approximately 225 feet high at its terminal face, stretches below the waterline up to about 120 feet, and reaches back to the Chugach Icefield nearly 24 miles away. This giant of College Fjord is slowly advancing, calving literally tons of ice into the fjord each day. These glaciers parade down from the steep mountains. Nowhere else is there such a density of tidal glaciers.

There are often harbor seals hauled out on the ice floes in front of Harvard Glacier throughout the summer. It's also not unusual to see large rafts of sea otters together, grooming their luxuriously dense fur, slipping beneath the surface to dine on crab, or simply floating with their babies nestled on their chests watching with curiosity as we pass by.

Visit the Ice Age in Alaska's many glaciers.

Glaciers form where more snow falls in the long winter than melts in the short summer and, over a period of years, compacts into ice, becoming massive enough to begin to move. That is, a snow patch becomes a glacier when the deepest layers begin to deform due to the weight of the overlying snow and ice.

There are so many glaciers in Prince William Sound because moisture from storms sweeping in off the Pacific Ocean in the winter is trapped by the high mountains and drops that moisture as snow. In fact, in the higher elevations of the Chugach Mountains it is not uncommon for snow to fall 12 months of the year. The thick, accumulating snow layers compress over years into ice that gradually flows down to the sea like massive rivers of ice. In the high reaches of the mountains, the glacier accumulates the snow that turns into ice. This area is called the accumulation zone. It can take the glacial ice about 100 years to move from this point to its terminus point at sea. The ice moves down from the mountains and begins melting and calving into the water. The area where more ice is lost to calving, melting, and evaporating is called the ablation, or melting, zone. The glacier's thickness is about one-half of the surface width of the glacier. Although few glaciers have been measured, the measured thickness ranges from a few hundred feet for small glaciers to about 5,000 feet for the largest glaciers in Alaska. At the end of the last great Ice Age, the glaciers covering Prince William Sound may have reached two miles in thickness in places.

Most of the glacier ice in Alaska is only a few tenths of a degree below the melting temperature, except for a surface layer several feet thick that is cooled during winter. Because of this, most glaciers in Alaska are not frozen to their beds. These glaciers are referred to as "temperate" glaciers. Glaciologists refer to a glacier as a "cold" glacier if it is more than a few degrees below the freezing temperature throughout most of its thickness. Cold glaciers are frozen to the bedrock, do not move, and are found in Greenland and Antarctica.

Tidewater glaciers show a cyclical behavior. Glaciers push debris in front of them as they slowly move down a mountainside. The moraine, which is formed of rocks, boulders, and debris, protects the face of the glacier from the melting effects of saltwater. Eventually too much of the glacier is in the melting zone compared to the amount in the accumulation zone and the glacier retreats off its protective moraine. When the glacier retreats, it is still flowing downhill due to gravity and its own mass. Now its ice-face is exposed to the relatively warm salt water and drastic retreat begins with the glacier calving millions of tons of ice daily. When the glacier retreats onto land or into shallow water, the melt rate decreases, the glacier stabilizes, and it once again begins to build a new terminal moraine from rock debris carried down the mountain by the glacier. Over time, the new moraine will protect the face of the glacier again slowing the melting and the glacier will begin to advance, slowly bulldozing its moraine down the mountainside.

Look out for calving bergs at Columbia Glacier.

Columbia Glacier is Prince William Sound's largest tidewater glacier. As of 1984, it has been in catastrophic retreat and is discharging huge quantities of icebergs that totally clog the area behind its formerly deposited moraine. Much of the time it fills the outer bay with so much ice that it is impossible to get within seven miles of the face of this glacier. It has retreated an astounding seven miles and shrunk from 5 miles across its face to less than 2 miles in less than 20 years!

In June of 1999, the terminal advance of the glacier suddenly accelerated from 82 feet/day to 115 feet/day indicating that there was rapid thinning at its terminus or face. Glaciologists don't know whether the glacier will stabilize or retreat back beyond the narrows. Currently the glacier's face is in contact with seawater 600 feet deep. Behind the narrow area where it now lies is a very large glacier-filled basin that reaches 2,000 feet below sea level. If the glacier retreats over that ridge, then incredible amounts of ice will be exposed to the melting effects of saltwater and a gigantic breakup will occur. The Icefield that feeds the glacier is 34 miles back into the Chugach to about Valdez. Columbia's catastrophic retreat is one of the most interesting geological events occurring on the planet because a whole new fjord is being released from the ice. Some glaciologists think that this is the first retreat Columbia has made in perhaps 3,000 years. It will be many hundreds if not thousands of years before Columbia Glacier will, once again, reoccupy the fjord.

Because the old terminal moraine forms a shallow dam under the water across Columbia Bay, large icebergs that reach more than 60 feet below the surface are corralled up in it and hold the remainder of ice in the seven-mile-long inner bay. Each high tide some of these melting bergs float across the moraine and temporarily allow a stream of smaller ones behind them to escape into the outer bay. This is the glacier from which icebergs drifting out into Prince William Sound played a small role in the grounding of the oil tanker, Exxon Valdez.

Sitting in the middle of the world’s most productive fishing ground makes Kodiak one of the largest fishing ports in the nation.

The modern city of Kodiak is just one settlement on Kodiak Island, a lush landscape known as Alaska's Emerald Isle. To locals, it is affectionately known as "he rock."

Kodiak was the first capital of Russian Alaska, before it was moved to Sitka. During the Rus