Mother Goose Leg 3, Day 2 – Charlie’s Cove to Hydaburg

A beautiful misty morning greeted us when we awoke in Charlie’s Cove. Our scheduled departure time was 10 am, so we took our time and enjoyed a relaxing beginning to our day. After breakfast, we began raising anchor and began our trip to Hydaburg. As our boats slipped out of Charlie’s Cove, we saw a sea otter lounging in the kelp as well as some harbor seals hauled out on a nearby rock. Marine mammal sightings are a very common occurrence in this part of the world, and we felt lucky to be cruising in such company.

Hydaburg is only a short distance away from Charlie’s Cove, so we wouldn’t be cruising more than a few hours today. Before long, a plume of mist appeared off the port bow. This mist was followed shortly after by a large dark gray back topped with a knobby dorsal fin and, finally, by the enormous tail (called the flukes) of a humpback whale. Each animal’s flukes are colored with a unique pattern of black and white markings. By comparing fluke photos, scientists are able to identify individuals and track them from year to year. Unfortunately, this animal only put in a short appearance before vanishing into the still waters.

As we cruised on, the skies went from overcast to partly cloudy, and the sun shone down across the verdant landscape. We reached Hydaburg in the early afternoon and pulled into the harbor. After all the boats were tied up and everyone was settled, we ventured into the small town. Near the head of the dock was a small building which served as the administrative office for the Haida Cooperative Association, a group which runs many of the tribe’s affairs. In this office we met a wonderful woman named Lisa, who gave us a ride to the tribe’s carving shed on the other side of town. Here, master carvers and their apprentices were carving all sorts of beautiful handcrafts, including two enormous totem poles that were being carved to replace older poles which had fallen victim to the ravages of time. The original poles were laid out on sawhorses, and the new poles were laid alongside. Figure by figure, the carvers were creating replicas of the weathered old poles. Everyone was very friendly, and they told us all about the carving process, showed us their tools, and some of their finished pieces.

When we were finally able to tear ourselves away from the carving shed, we explored the rest of the town. Besides a little market and a park with a number of incredible totem poles, Hydaburg consisted mostly of small homes, friendly dogs and even friendlier people. We returned to the boats in the evening very happy with our visit to town. After dinner, the crew from Inside Passage went out in their dinghy and set their crab pots. An amazing sunset turned the whole western sky a rosy peach color and we were all in bed long before it had faded into darkness.