The Glacier Bay Lodge is beautifully sited. Hiking trails lead from the lodge along the bay and into the woods. This was departure day and what a shock it was to awaken, part the curtains, and see a sky, though still mostly cloudy, in which I spotted a couple of blue openings… so I determined I would attempt the remainder of the various hikes near the lodge, which included the Forrest Trail and  Beach Trail.  After the fiasco of the Bartlett River Trail the previous day, I did not want to venture too far off from seeking DRY shelter., even if it was to pop into a strangers tent in the campground. I was totally over getting soaked.

The ritzy Forrest Trail included two viewing decks and a boardwalk part of the way and I hate to admit that it was a quite a  relief this morning to not be drenched nor to have to monitor every single foot footfall into puddles, root crevices, and craggy  rocks, lest I twist an ankle or massacre any other part of my porous skeleton.  This trail was a well “ manicured and sanitized” version of the Bartlett River Trail…beauty abounded with minimal puddles and minus the serrated  rocks and so many snagging roots. Of course my ordinary preference and inclination would be a tougher trail but, after yesterday, I finally came to the conclusion that not every hiking adventure needs to be a Mt. Everest endeavor. Maybe the story isn’t as dramatic but perhaps I am getting to a point in life after 8 decades where everything I do does not have to be high intensity, the toughest, or a crescendo to the top tier of an endeavor. 

The birdsong was beautiful and the black water ponds a window of life below and a mirror for life above. Their dark colored tea-stained appearance in this mossy glen led me to whimsically imagine the black water as a repository of mossy stories from other eras. The trail ended at the campground so I meandered through that area, scouting future possibilities. I doubt I will ever return to take advantage of these wonderful sites nestle in the between the spruce and alder, lichen, fungi, ferns, and carpets of moss.

I had intended to return by the identified beach trail but realized that, though you could get views the water and the beach from it, it was NOT on the beach.  So I blazed my own trail through the rocks, seaweed, shells, and sand with a very light mist adding a sparkle  to a delightful morning… with temperatures around 60. Guess that thought about everything didn’t have to be high intensity and thus taking the easier road had already vanished.  This is not a Florida Beach, Long Island or the Jersey Shore type of beach. There were areas of coarse sand but mostly a mixtures of pebbles, gravel, shells, larger rocks and an occasional boulder, a variety of smooth stones of various colors… a beautiful mosaic or countless textures, vibrant colors and a myriad of natures detritus. I love striding barefoot on a beach but had no urge to ditch my shoes and scurry barefoot here. The tide was low so here was a variety of sea weeds washed ashore, wet and glistening, tangled, ribbon-like and splayed out across the shells and rocks adding to the ambience of this coastal edge . I spotted shells included clams, mussels, barnacles, scallops but no conch as these tropical mollusks do not inhabit frigid waters. .

To dip or not to dip my toes into Glacier Bay. Typically the beach’s edge is a mixture of water and sand and when stepped upon one’s foot might sink in a few inches. But at every beach I have visited in Alaska, the shoreline is a quicksand like substance I call “sucking mud” composed of sand, water and clay mixture. It behaves like quicksand and will eagerly gulp and swallow a boot or shoe that is loosely attached to your person. How far it might quaff me down I chose not to test. Soon it would be time to return to my room with the task at hand to pack up and to check out by noon though the only flight out of Gustavus wasn’t until 5:30. 

As I tread this fascinating mosaic of the shore, my mind wandered to one of my beloved classics , Anne Morrow Lindberg’s “A Gift from the Sea. ” Like this author, exploring the shore brings me peace, solitude and contentment of my mind and soul. What a fitting way to close out the hiking portion of my visit to Glacier Bay.

What to do with the three and one half hours before the shuttle to the airport in Gustavus departed. I meandered out to the dock and discovered a Glacier Bay National Park sign and had the good fortune to have a couple a folks meandering there as well and was able to get my traditional photo in front of the park sign which I have been doing since I had my first national park visit to Great Smokey Mountains National Park when I was 11 (guess I was not as important to fully capture as my brother and sister and the road were.)

Since I had not had an opportunity to visit the Tribal house of the Huna  (my priority usually is to beat up my body with physical endeavors), when a member of the Huna Clan,  a subgroup of the Tlingit people,  would be present to share their story, I headed there. I was mesmerized  by  the carved totems outside and the carved pillars on the interior. Owen, a craggy old gent, was the Huna representative and had been intricately involved in the carvings in this Ancestral House which opened in 2017. He took the time to share the story of each pillar. I regret that I can not remember accurately so much of the lore he described in the totems and walls of the of Tuna Shuka Hit, the Huna Ancestor’s House.

There were  4 totems representing a story of  the 4 clans. The tribal lore is fascinating.  In the tribal tradition, the stories  can only be told by a tribal member. They are not written but passed through the generations via the oral tradition, so I would not be recording his tales nor recounting these tales to you. His concern, as so many members of indigenous groups concur,  is the disaffection of the young people for the traditional in favor of the wider world brought to them through the internet. 

I had a difficult time not being incensed when, earlier in the trip I heard the story of the alienation of the Huna by US government. Typically, for many many decades the US government had no regard for Indigenous Americans and their cultural practices, and in this instance the Alaskan Native Clans. The relationship between the Huna and the National Park Service was fraught with animosity in the early years when the Glacier Bay National Monument was established.  Laws and regulations implement by the government, without collaboration of the Huna,  led to restriction of the Huna land use, regulating what land they could access, what they could harvest and resources they could gather. The tensions have eased and regulations revised and the building of this tribal hut has been one way to foster a much stronger relationship and connection  between the two. After I had left Owen and was on my way home I had wished that I had the thoughtfulness to express my sorrow about the how my government had treated his ancestors. It is a very important gathering place today for reconnection with preserving oral history and other traditions, music, dances, and the sharing their heritage with visitors today.

CHOOKANEIDI (GLACIER BEAR)

There are four clans That are represented here. The above is the CHOOKANEIDI Clan (Glacier Bear) and part of the eagle/wolf moiety. Also part of the eagle/wolf moiety is the KAAGWAANTAAN Clan (Wolf/Bear). The third totem is WOOSHKEETAN (Whale).The fourth totem is the T’AKDEINTAAN Clan (Raven). Don’t go and update Wikipedia based on my less than educated guess as source material is not consistent across most of what I read.

KAAGWAANTAAN (WOLF )

The symbols on the walls and totems  are a beautiful example  of Northwest Coast Indigenous art. I find it a stunning  unique artistic style of  flowing lines and bold colors and containing many ovoid and U-shapes that represent various elements such as eyes, mouths, or spirit beings. The deep connection with nature and the spiritual world you can see  reflected in their symbols that are used in their art.  

T’AKDEINTAAN (RAVEN)

From animals like eagles and bears to intricate geometric patterns, each symbol tells a story and represents aspects of their culture and beliefs. Each totem tells a story of its clan. These  Tlingit symbols differ from symbols used in other Indigenous cultures due to their focus on animals and natural elements, the intricate formline designs, their use in telling the Tlingit story  and clan identification, and their connection to spirituality. These symbols serve as a visual representation of their deep connection to the land and their ancestors.

WOOSHKEETAN (WHALE/SHARK)

It was by now time top board the bus to Gustavus Airport and make the trip back to home on the Kenai Peninsula in reverse: a quick leap to Juneau, aviating to Anchorage, a trudge to find my car out in the farthest reaches of long term parkingalone at midnight, and on to the motel so as not to travel half the night back to Soldotna. But there was one last bus stop on the way out at the park entrance for another photo op with the other park sign.