Snow Pass is up the coast from Ketchikan. Here the Inside Passage narrows and the tidewater produces an abundance of fish. The Island Princess had a naturalist on board and throughout the afternoon he was on the shipwide PA system, talking about the passing scenery and encouraging us to get up on deck to look for wildlife like whales and porpoises.

For a couple of hours all we saw were the coastal mountains, beautiful under the blazing sun and rich blue sky. Gradually the mountains moved closer as we neared Snow Pass. The naturalist, located just below the ship’s bridge and armed with powerful binoculars, began to report sightings of whales. We headed outside to see what we could see.

The afternoon was lovely, though there was a stiff breeze on the deck. We found a place mid-ships that had some shelter against the wind, but sightings were reported on either side of the ship. That meant we had to rush from one side to the other through the ship with each announcement, so we were kept busy.

We sighted about a half a dozen whales, mainly seeing blows and then their bodies as they moved through the water. To be able to see more than the blow you needed to have a telephoto lens or binoculars. I heard some disappointed comments, but Snow Pass itself was beautiful, with the glaciated peaks rising majestically and the light from the setting sun glittering on the water.

I hadn’t expected much from this day. Ketchikan didn’t strike me as an exciting little town and I didn’t know about Snow Pass. However, wandering through Creek Street was surprisingly fun and Snow Pass an unexpected delight!