Alaska and Canada May 26-June 9, 2023 June 30

Today we are going to William Henry Bay, located south of Haines and on the edge of the Chilkat Mountains. This area has been a productive site for copper mining and later, since 1921, for gold mining. During the Cold War and the spread of nuclear weapons in the 1950s, the US government tried to ignite a 'uranium rush' in the area of William Henry Bay, but no significant deposits were found. Recent investigations, however, indicate that there is still a lot of gold hidden in these hills... In the early evening, we will go ashore in small groups with the Zodiac boats in a remote bay. Under the guidance of local guides, we will go into the forest to search for bears. The first group actually saw a black bear, we only saw its leftovers. It's quite impressive when you know that there was a bear there half an hour ago, and yet also relieved that we all safely return to the ship.