A Message from yoursixth year cruise coordinator, Donna Specht

Why go? Nowhere on the North American continent is the call of the wild louder, the lure of the Last Frontier stronger, the sense of adventure and freedom more compelling than Alaska. You don’t really know what wild means until you have seen wondrous Alaska. Twice the size of Texas, 5,000 glaciers, ice fields, 6 major mountain ranges, arctic tundra, rainforests, rugged coastal fjords, 33,900 miles of sea coast, ancient native culture and the monarchs of land and sea: bears, moose, sheep, bald eagles, whales and so much more.

The Sierra Club’s interest in Alaska goes all the way back to our founder, John Muir, the fearless and famous naturalist. John Muir discovered Glacier Bay in 1879 when he was exploring the Icy Strait described by Captain Vancouver’s charts 100 years previously as completely clogged with ice. Muir, in a little canoe with native guides, found the wall of ice had now retreated more than 40 miles revealing this newly landscaped bay. Muir, a man fascinated with glaciers, could now see them in action and he no longer had to speculate on their movements as he had done in the Sierra Nevada. Here was living science, “ the morning of creation.”

In Muir’s footsteps, the Angeles Chapter will lead our twelfth cruise to Alaska's Inside Passage and on north to Anchorage. You can have a whole lot of fun at a great value and travel with friends. Alaska is on the front lines of global warming and there are still many ongoing, gigantic environmental issues facing this Great Land. To see Alaska for yourself is to understand how the Sierra Club works to protect the fragile wilderness.

This seven night cruise departs Vancouver, B.C. on May 17th, aboard the Sapphire Princess. Here's an opportunity to enjoy one week of luxury living while viewing some of the most awesome and incredible scenery on earth. Traveling with Sierra Club friends is like having the whole ship to ourselves: We have designated meeting sites on board for get togethers, dining, breakfast, cocktails even early a.m. brisk hikes around the promenade deck and leader led hikes on shore. A pre-cruise potlatch hosted by the leaders is an exciting way to get to know your new roommates and fellow cruisers and also compare notes on port adventures.

The itinerary includes cruising the scenic Inside Passage, visit totem poles and hike with your leaders in Ketchikan, visit Mendenhall Glacier and hike in Juneau and venture into Yukon Territory, home of the Klondike Gold rush Trail of 1898 in Skagway. The ship will cruise mighty Glacier Bay National Park and College Fjord with some 30 plus gleaming tidewater glaciers, where "calving" can be seen up close. At the conclusion of the cruise, an optional 7 day extension to Denali National Park will be offered by the leaders. For information on this exclusive, fully escorted extension, contact the trip leader, Donna Specht, (donnaspecht@juno.com).

Stateroom categories start at $514 double occupancy, plus airfare, port charges, government taxes, and transfers. Your cruise fare includes, ship stateroom, incredible dining, exercise opportunities, on board naturalists and quality entertainment. There is so much to do, you can’t do it all.

Princess reserves the right to recall cabins not under full deposit at any time, so move fast on this one. Limited spaces in each category. Compare prices and take advantage of the low cost Sierra Club rate. Our agent and the trip leader will assist singles with names & numbers of other singles.

Donna Specht, Cruise Coordinator