Hōkūleʻa has spent the first 200 miles of the Moananuiākea Voyage surrounded by rainforests and snow-capped mountains.
Crew members arrived in Wrangell, Alaska on Tuesday after completing one of the most dangerous legs of the journey so far.
Hōkūleʻa Captain Mark Ellis said the waterways of Southeastern Alaska, commonly referred to as "the Panhandle," are narrow but really deep.
"You've got humpback whales coming right up to the canoe," Ellis said.
"There will be eagles and ravens flying throughout the air. And then also, if we're lucky, you see a pod of the orcas."
Hōkūleʻa left Juneau on June 17, with stops in Angoon, Kake and Petersburg.
Crew members had been preparing for the powerful currents of a winding 22-mile stretch known as Wrangell Narrows.
The area is so hazardous that "there's actually a website dedicated to all the bad things that happen in this waterway," Ellis said.
"We could have taken another day and went completely around and bypassed the Narrows," he continued.
"But it's an opportunity for us to explore and be able to go through that experience. So that we can test ourselves."
Hōkūleʻa successfully passed through Narrows and arrived in Wrangell late Tuesday.
Ellis said the outpouring of Alaskan hospitality along the way has kept crew members encouraged.
"Once we're on that land, then they take us in as their own," Ellis said. "They told us that it's now their responsibility to keep us safe and well-fed."
On-board provisions include at least 30 pounds of crab legs and 20 pounds of king salmon for a lucky crew of eight.
Hōkūleʻa will remain in Wrangell for several days. Her next stop is Ketchikan.
Stay tuned for HPR's coverage of Hōkūleʻa as reporters interview crew members and track their progress through the Pacific:
