Alaska's Glaciers and Inside Passage June 28 - July 5, 2018

This year's peak-season summer voyage features the magnificent coastline of British Columbia and the Southeast Islands of Alaska. The W&L Traveller has visited this region several times but never at this level of scope and comfort. Our seven-night expedition through the Inside Passage from Vancouver, British Columbia, to Juneau, Alaska, features some of North America's most spectacular scenery.

Our voyage will be aboard the exclusively chartered, five-star, all-suite small ship M.V. Star Legend. This elegant, nimble vessel enables us to visit isolated inlets and coves inaccessible to larger vessels, with incomparable views of wildlife as well as the majestic grandeur of the Pacific Coastline. During naturalist-led Zodiac excursions and from the comfort of our own spacious, ocean-view suites, we'll behold Arctic-blue glaciers, emerald forests of hemlock and spruce, rarely observed marine life, towering mountains still bearing the scars of ancient glaciers, and abundant wildlife-whales, harbor seals, porpoises, sea lions, sea otters, and eagles in their natural habitat. We'll call at the historic fishing towns of Sitka, Wrangell, and Ketchikan, where we'll rediscover the gold rush era and the living heritage of the Tlingit people, an indigenous tribe of the Pacific Northwest. An onboard team of naturalists will provide talks focused on local wildlife and regional history. In addition to talks by faculty from other universities, W&L's special guest, President Will Dudley, will provide fresh insights into the life of Washington and Lee University.

For those wishing to extend their stay in Canada, this tour offers a two-night Vancouver and Victoria pre-cruise option. For Alaska, we have a five-night post-cruise option in Denali National Park with a rail trip to Fairbanks. "To the lover of wilderness, Alaska is one of the most wonderful countries in the world." So wrote John Muir 100 years ago while exploring the Alaska coast. Muir offered his testimonial well before Alaska became our 49th state. Today, Alaska is the grandest expression of America the Beautiful, and the Southeast Islands its most accessible wilderness.

Traveling With You

William C. (Will) Dudley

William C. (Will) Dudley became Washington and Lee University's 27th president on January 1, 2017. He was formerly provost and professor of philosophy at Williams College. A Virginia native, born in Charlottesville and raised in Arlington, President Dudley received his B.A. in mathematics and philosophy, magna cum laude, from Williams in 1989, and an M.A. and a Ph.D., both in philosophy, from Northwestern University. He joined the Williams faculty in 1998. His area of expertise is German idealism, from Kant to Hegel. He is the author of two books and editor of volumes on Kant and Hegel and has published numerous scholarly articles.