The River Ran Through it.

86 degrees on Sat. June 23
The river is expected to flood by Sunday.
Golf Course.

**Thank you for keeping in touch.

**Jo wrote: "loved the pics Ang, and the story telling is very cool!"

**Angie, thanks so much for driving us to a wonderful jet boat experience. Your insight and knowledge of the area was very beneficial. The experience was one of the highlights of the trip. Someday, I would like to go again.

The Haines area was absolutely beautiful, with the mountains, wildlife and rivers. I can see why you would love to live in this area, especially during the summer months.
I did get a chance to look at your blog. You have done a great job with it. The pictures and stories bring the area to life! Keep up the good work! I will continue to check back on the blog from time to time. Perhaps our paths will cross again. Stay in touch!
The Illinois Hunter
Joel Clark

Cow & calf swimming the Chilkat River
Greg & Georgia from Arizona

**Just dropping you a note to let you know that we had a fantastic time in Alaska. As you can see below, we were really lucky to catch pictures of the "natives". Attached are the two pics from the Chilkat River Jet Boat Tour. Can't wait to return!!! Thanks for sharing your beautiful home. 

Brown Bear
Cheers: Frank & Kay

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THE FLOODING OF THE CHILKAT!

The Lunch Pavilion

Here's a rapid weather change for you!

On Thursday we were still dressing for cool temperatures. On Saturday we were in shorts and sandals with the temperatures in the mid to upper
80's, and a forecast advising of a flood warning for the Chilkat River by Sunday.
 This picture is on Sunday June 24th at the lunch pavilion where you ate lunch.

With the high water in the gear sheds and lunch pavilion, it leaves us no choice but to close the tours down until the river levels drop. 

On Monday the weather changed back to gray and windy with cooler temperatures "our norm", this should slow down the rapidly melting snow.

When the river finally crested on Tuesday morning it left about 2 feet of water in the gear sheds and the pavilion.

The water quickly dispersed from the lunch pavilion, and with the whole crew on clean up duty we were able to get things up and running in 2 days. Whew!

by Angie

This cow walked up behind me in my backyard.  I could not believe how close she came to me, and...I didn't see her.  Remember, I talk about always having my dog with me for extra eyes? He didn't see her either!  I was shocked at how quick I was on the porch. 

I put the dog in the house, grabbed my camera and went back out on the porch and took pictures on and off throughout the evening. 
This picture was taken at 9:30 pm after they had bedded down for the evening. They were still there in the morning. This beats TV any night!

2 bull moose

On June 10th one of our tours had the rare opportunity to join "The Chilkat Pioneer" Duck, as he manned one of the jet boats upriver.  The experience on the boat must have been a great one according to the comments I heard as guests made their way from the dock.
  Everyone was excited to tell their stories of what they saw while on the tour.  The most talked about were the two bull moose found swimming the river.  As the two swam downstream Duck carefully maneuvered the boat so that everyone was able to get a good look and a picture without disturbing them.  The river is at 5 feet now and flowing stronger with more debree, but for two bull moose it's not an obstacle, it is merely a fact of life.

Courting Eagle's over Chilkat River
by Angie

The group was also lucky enough to witness a bald eagle swimming in the river with a salmon in it's grasp as it's wings were violently thrashing the water. As it struggled against the current, it had to fight the salmon that is now in a frenzy to break free.   Quite often the reason the eagle is not able to lift off of the water with a salmon, is that the fish is simply, too heavy.  We were not able to watch the outcome, as we were in the bus and traveling back to town.  But, I can tell you that to witness this event is spectacular and not often seen.

Forget Me Nots
by Angie

We still have a remarkable amount of snow left on the mountains for this time of year and for those of you I have met, you know we received a record breaking amount this year.  So, to keep you up to date, the month of May has been the 2nd coldest on record. And, at this point we are almost halfway through June, the temperatures have gotten a bit warmer, but still not warm enough to melt high mountain snow.


Then came June 21st.  The forecast was for "sunny and warm."
Wow, summer is finally here! OR, so we thought.

The stormy tour!  You Guys were great!

Everyone was enjoying the beautiful morning on the dock waiting for the arrival of the fast ferry and talking about how nice the weather was.   I had put my shorts on earlier in the morning, but the way things had been going with the weather, I began having second thoughts and changed into jeans.  I was glad I did when the wind came up quickly at the river dock and grew harder, almost by the minute.  As I loaded my guests on the bus to return them to town I received a message from “The Little General", "Remember her?" that the fast ferry was docked in Skagway until the storm moved through.  As we headed to town I explained the quick onset of unexpected weather and how it effects travel here in Southeast Alaska, due mostly to the fact that we travel by water and air.  When a storm blows in, it can quickly hinder all travel plans, as it did in this case.  I did however let everyone know that we were in contact with the cruise ships, and they would be in good hands until the weather has subsided. 

As a special treat to our guests we took them to The American Bald Eagle Foundation where they were able to witness a live eagle feeding.  Thank You guys for being so much fun and understanding during the storm.  HERE'S TO YOU!   



12,738 Sockeye through the weir at Chilkoot River!

These twins said, "your the best" after I gave them a hotdog.
Royal Caribbean

The forecast for the Haines area over the next couple of days is: temperatures around 80 degrees, sunny skies, and a flood warning for the Chilkat River. The heavy snowpack left behind from the winter is now melting at a very fast rate and racing down the mountains to the nearby streams and rivers.

 

Disney Kids on the River!

Spring on "The River"

   Many of us here in the Chilkat Valley are happy that the month of May has made its departure and with it the cold rainy days it has imposed on us. Because we only had one day of sunshine and warmth, the snow has lingered high on the mountains with no intentions of melting off,  until early June brought sunshine and warmer temperatures to the valley and "the melt began".

Karen (the moose) eating her first banana

   The river is now flowing four feet higher, which makes it easier to navigate and more accessible. Along the riverbanks cow moose and their new born calves have been spotted, and most of the calve's are anywhere from hours to just a couple of days old. They rely solely on their mothers milk for a couple of months until they begin eating vegetation. 
   The cow moose are like any other mother and will protect their calves with great intensity.  Although they are great protectors of their young approximately eighty percent of the calves born in the spring will not survive their first year.  The calf in the picture was abandoned by it's mother for reasons unknown, but was found by a passerby and taken to the wildlife park outside of town to be raised.

Sierra admiring Trumpeter swans

  
   Another of the many sightings on the river in the last few weeks was the Trumpeter Swan.
   The swans are native to North America and mate for life,  living mostly in small eddies of water just off of the rivers main channels.  It is here where they nest and raise their young, called (cygnets).  Just a couple of days after the youngsters are born they leave the nest and begin learning how to feed, and by their fourth month they are ready to begin learning how to fly.
  Adult Trumpeter Swans have a wing span of up to eight feet wide, and taking off from a body of water causes a violent turbulence that can be seen and heard.  We witnessed the three swans in this picture as they took off from the water then turned and flew passed us.

by Angie

Elaine, from Cockatoo Australia having a great time eating a (weina). Pronounce weiner or hotdog here. 



  
  

My favorite picture of the week. Here you go kid! Your famous!

When I asked everyone to wave from the boat this kid went all out.

 

 

                                        Hello from Switzerland!                                        

Merci vilmal fur de schon Tag
( Thanks a lot for this lovely day)

Spring time in Haines has finally gotten a grasp and pushed old man winter out of the way.  The record breaking snows are finally over and it's time to open the River Adventures Dock for the 22nd summer season. 

Duck and Karen Hess decided to give up their day jobs 22 years ago and do what they love best, take guests on an adventure up the mighty Chilkat River.  The first three years into the business they took small groups of independent travelers upriver on the tour from a dock just down river from where they are now.  In their fourth season a cruise line picked them up as a tour for the ship's guests, shortly thereafter they purchased 3.2 acres of land at twenty four mile on the Haines Highway where the docks are presently located. They harbor three thirty two foot jet boats that can carry twenty four people each and a smaller boat that carries up to sixteen.  Guests are picked up at the cruise ship dock in Haines and taken by bus to the docks to begin their journey.

Moose calf along the river

The Chilkat River runs through part of the 48,000 acres set aside for the Chilkat Bald Eagle Preserve in 1982 by the State of Alaska.  In late fall Bald Eagle's begin gathering in the preserve by the hundreds to feast on the late salmon runs and the spawned out salmon that are scattered along the river's banks.  An alluvial fan along the river's west shore near the village of Klukwan releases warmer water into the Chilkat which keeps it from freezing, allowing for a longer feeding season for the eagles.  The area's habitat is also home to many different species of animals including; bears, moose, wolves, mountain goat, river otters, and trumpeter swans.