Today we dock in the small port town of Klawok. Here we meet the mayor of the town Leslie. He takes us on a tour of the town. This small port town is know for its Totem Poles.
We walk through town until we reach a shop where Jon runs the Totem pole program. They are working on replacing the 8 or so Totem poles in the center of town. Each pole takes approximately 3-4 months. Careful emphasis is placed on the pole that will be uses as well as the story that is told with the poles unique carvings.
The program is run in conjunction with the local high school. The high school students must apply to be a carver and it is a great honor to be selected. But it is not a job taken lightly. In the summer, the students are required to start work at 6 AM. The idea is to provide the students with discipline which they then can carry on with them later in life.
This afternoon, we are off on our overnight adventure. We meet our adventure guide Patti who is a complete treat. She use to live about 45 minutes from where I know live in Montana so it is nice to speak with a local.
We will head out for our 7 mile kayaking adventure. All of our camping gear, food and clothing is loaded into dry bags and placed inside the front and backs of the kayaks.
The rest of the afternoon is spent kayaking to our camping destination. Because my kayak partner is a renowned photographer, we stop often for him to take pictures.
Today is the first day that I hear my first whale blow and I am in awe. We paddle as fast as we can to where we thought we heard the sound with the hopes of catching a glance of these enormous beasts. To our disappointment, we don't see them (and now we have to kayak back to the group).
We land at a small island in the middle of nowhere to make camp. After tethering our kayaks and finding a place to set up our tents, it is time for some rest and relaxation. Pattie quickly get the fire going and places some stew on the fire. It is the best thing I have ever tasted and so toasty warm. We even have small seats to sit on and some wine!
I wish I could say I slept like a baby but to the contrary. I was initially prepared to not get sleep because of the cold. That was not the case however as I stayed nice and warm.
It was actually the whale tales slapping the water in the dark and the animal screeching on the beach. Pattie thinks the animal was possibly mink mating...I thought it was something being eaten with the horrific sounds it made.
The staff at Adventure Life made planning my family's trip to the Galapagos Islands as easy as possible. They listened to what we were hoping to experience and made thoughtful suggestions about how to accomplish our vacation goals while meeting the needs of travelers ages 17-76! They patiently answered questions and follow up questions in the months leading up to the trip. They helped us trouble shoot and customize the trip in every way possible. The logistics involved in traveling from Boston to the Galapagos are innumerable. The Adventure Life staff helped us arrange every detail and the team they assembled in the Galapagos was tremendous. I have never done a trip this big before and after working with Adventure Life this time--would not hesitate one second in working with them again.
Jennifer Howard Schroeder
1 day ago
Kevin got right on our request and had us booked within the week
Linda Cummings
2 days ago
The info on the website was laid out very well. I did some comparisons with other tours and found Adventure Life met a lot of what I wanted in an Antarctica trip at the cheapest price. Requested a quote on Claudia contacted me right away. She answered a lot of questions the I had via email even though she offered to discuss via phone call. I’m more of an email person so appreciated how she accommodated that and answered all my questions. And when I was ready to book, she quickly got the ball rolling with getting our spots reserved on the trip my friend and I wanted. Thanks again, Claudia!
Hazel Araza
2 days ago
(1) great information on the website and throughout all the "materials." (2) Jane Packer is great: knowledgeable, responsive, takes a personal interest and tone, seems to care about the customer as a person not a sale.
Larry Bethune
2 days ago
great people doing a wonderful job to make our voyages happen.