Icy Strait Point ~ Forest Floor Explored
This port of call may not be familiar to many as it is a private cruise destination on the Northwest point of Chichagof Island. However, this island is the 5th largest in the United States and the 109th largest in the world. Admiralty Island separates Icy Strait Point from Juneau, a short 30 miles to the east across the Inside Passage. The closest village is Hoonah, AK, mainly a Tlingit community founded on June 8, 1946. The Hoonah Totem Corporation owns the cruise port originally used only by Royal Caribbean in 2004, it is now open to other lines to utilize to bring tourism to the small island.
58° 06′ 34″ N 135° 26′ 11″ W
Protected From The North Wind
Hoonah is the loose pronunciation of the Tlingit word Xunaa, translated to mean "lee of the north wind" or, as some would say, "protected from the north wind."
In 1912, one of eight canneries comprising the chief local industry, The Hoonah Packing Company (HPC), opened. Ultimately, it sold multiple times until acquired by Wards Cove Packing, the owner of Hoonah Trading. It closed in 1954 as a cannery and became a storage center for commercial fishermen and a place to maintain boats and gear. It is now the home of the museum, restaurant, and small souvenir shops.
“And into the forest I go, to lose my mind and find my soul.”
“I understood at a very young age that in nature, I felt everything I should feel in church but never did. Walking in the woods, I felt in touch with the universe and with the spirit of the universe.”
“The earth is hiring and the pay is your legacy.”
“Come forth into the light of things, let nature be your teacher.”
“Simplicity is not the opposite of wealth. It is the door to the riches you already own.”
“In the woods we return to reason and faith.”
“Learn character from trees, values from roots, and change from leaves.”
“I took a walk in the woods and came out taller than the trees.”
“Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better.”
The Hoonah Packing Company remodeled to host a large bar area with a restaurant in the back named The Crab House. The menu includes crab bisque, smoked salmon chowder, and fresh Dungeness crab clusters.
But an essential menu item to try is the Alaska Crabby Bloody Mary. I enjoyed one as a light lunch. Capping the cocktail is a scoop of luscious crab meat that slowly sinks and offers hidden surprises as you drink. Add a garnish of snow crab leg and claw, a giant shrimp, a skewer with olives, and a lime. A celery stalk can be used as a spoon with the picked asparagus to stir. A perfect spicy mix combined with Sky Vodka creates the ideal cocktail to celebrate your time in Alaska.
The beautiful shore is great for a stroll before heading back aboard the cruise ship.