prince william sound and glacier bay sea kayaking trip 2005/alaska diary with pictures... · prince...
TRANSCRIPT
Prince William Sound and Glacier Bay Sea Kayaking Trip – The Waltons
August 1, 2005
Sitting in the tent in serious rain near Seward, Alaska. It has rained most of the day.
Several problems have arisen with the Black Diamond Lighthouse test. It is very good for
the original intention - a solo tent intended to be used in conjunction with a tarp. One
corner has a small leak, but that is nearly fixed with GE silicone II. However it is not
large enough for two people in this type of rain unless one has a larger tarp than the
Heptawing. The Heptawing only partially covers the tent itself unless one sacrifices the
front porch; and this tent is not sufficiently waterproof to survive the continuous Alaska
rain without putting it fully under a tarp.
This Miller's Landing campground really sucks. There is no good drainage and the soil
has low permeability leading to water running under the tent. Fortunately the tent floor is
impervious so far. I believe things will be much better when camping on the beach in a
better location with no water running underneath and no puddle in front. Played around a
bit with different tarp locations, but the net result is that I need a larger tarp to make it
bombproof. Ordered a Granite Gear White Lightning through Rory and we will see if she
can bring it. The BD Lighthouse would probably be fine for a solo tent in the rain as then
one can stay in the middle of the tent and avoid the walls which tend to weep but not
grossly leak in the continuous rain. If things get worse we can cover the tent with the
second Heptawing imitation tarp in shingle fashion. Initially the Heptawing knockoff
June and I made was leaking along the seams but that seems mostly fixed.
Typing with the Dell Axim X50v and the Bluetooth keyboard from Think Outside
is working very well. One can get a paragraph and a half on the screen, probably more
with a smaller font. The screen quality would support a smaller font than the 10 point
default. Just switched to 8 point and it is a little small but readable even without stronger
reading glasses. The front porch awning is nice with the Heptawing knockoff, except that,
in this "campground" there is a puddle out front. That won't be a problem in the future. In
the absence of bugs, we should be able to keep the front door open for views.
Today Claire and Elaine took a boat tour to Kenai Fjords National Park; saw
humpback whales, Puffins, a brown bear. Tomorrow Claire goes on a fishing trip,
hopefully she will catch something.
The Big Agnes sleeping pad is good so far but is best for sleeping and not as good
for hanging around camp. May keep the Z-rest Elsa has for the next trip. Just turned on
the music while typing, very nice. It looks, so far, like the PDA was a good idea, certainly
much better than a computer given the power limitations. Perhaps I will try drawing
tonight; hydraulics problems in the rain seems like a good one.
Solar charging is going to be problematic until it stops raining all the time, if it
ever does. The new USB connector from Hong Kong is outstanding and will charge with
Alkaline AA batteries. I may buy a stockpile of them for the next trip. Reading is pretty
good on the Axim. Avoids the need for a headlamp after dark. It is important to set the
screen dim timeout to 30 seconds or more to get through a page using the smallest fonts.
Went kayaking today. Rented a double for Otter and Elsa while paddling the
Feathercraft Kahuna myself. The boat is fine so far, but there were no real waves to test
things out. The water is quite cold upon immersing the hands beneath.
Just noticed a drip from the other corner of the tent. The problem seems to be at
the first (lowest) velcro fastener for the rear half of the tent poles, although, since the
front ones are covered by the wing, certainty is awaits. The 8 point font is working well
and gives two small paragraphs of text. Currently the screen is in portrait, landscape
awaits!
Time to sign off for today.
August 2, 2005
Claire went on a fishing cruise this afternoon from one until six PM; caught a salmon and
ate it for lunch. Set up the tent with two Heptawings this morning and it works
wonderfully. Finally I'm rainproof in this awful campground. As expected, this tent is
great once you put a rainfly over it. There is room for a six foot awning or thereabouts
when we get to a camp with no puddle outside the front door.
Rain has continued off and on all day and we are starting to get used to it. Not bad
at all when you can go inside to dry out; what will it be like when there is no dry cabin or
car?
The keyboard is now tied to the PDA with a secure setting and automatically connects
when you start typing as long as Bluetooth is turned on. Very nice piece of equipment in
all. Typing and listening to music. Must switch flash cards to listen to the one that must
be reformatted for pictures first.
Elsa and I kayaked separately for short distances today to continue getting in
shape. Tomorrow we will go to Homer on a driving day trip.
August 8, 2005
This is the second morning out. The first day, August 6, we paddled to Decision Point
and stayed at the state park at Squirrel Cove. Very nice wooden platforms in the woods
with bear box and outhouse. Several salmon were trapped in the small stream.
Presumably they entered at high tide or perhaps during a rain storm. We left about noon
and made it to a nice camp in a small cove just short of Pirate Cove. We stopped at the
state park a mile or two before this but it was not a nice place to camp. Today will be our
third day of paddling and we hope to make it about eight miles up the bay. We are
heading for Harriman Fjord with the big glaciers.
Arthur and Elsa are doing well in the big double kayak. Most of the food is going in the
large double. Weather so far has been perfect, no rain. Bugs are present but not bad &
present no problems, even for Arthur. Hopefully this good weather will last.
It is now evening and we are camped at the end of a spit at the mouth of Hobo
Bay. Arthur paddled across the bay to Hobo Creek to get fresh water as the nearby water
was a tannin colored pool. He said many salmon were at the mouth of the creek but two
boats there caught nothing. This is a popular pickup and dropoff point for kayakers. Two
groups were picked up at six this evening. We arrived in camp around two PM. The view
is nice from both sides of the spit. For supper we had spaghetti, mac and cheese, and left
over lentil soup. The weather is still gorgeous; partly cloudy and warm but not hot.
Tomorrow we may make it into Harriman Fjord and finally see some icebergs. We want
to camp near the calving ice if possible in a standard campground. A family for four from
Mexico was picked up here in two doubles. So far the trip has been great, but no rain
really helps. We'll see what happens when it rains for a week. USB and battery charging
of the abomination are working well. Outdoor Navigator works reasonably well for
kayaking as long as the power is left on all the time. The PDA, with the extended battery
goes for a very long time between charges; turned up the brightness and lengthened the
auto turnoff to keep it visible in daylight and running; save power with a 30 second dim
and the power saving clock rate.
Chuck and I paddled across Hobo Bay to the inlet stream to go fishing. Entering
first I came upon four river otters. Two large, one medium, and a baby. Watched them for
a long time as they hid behind boulders then then came out to look. Finally an adult
helped the baby climb up the rocks by pulling on the fur like a cat. We left them in peace
and went further out to fish. Caught one tiny minnow and saw a big school of salmon
swimming around; but no success there. As many as six sea otters were off of camp out
in the main channel in the evening. Elsa set out her home made shrimp pot by throwing it
out just before dark. She has been working on this pot for two days using sticks and some
fishing net found along the shore. She has great hopes for a catch tonight. Baited it with
pieces of a dead humpback salmon found along the shore.
August 9, 2005
Chuck started fishing for salmon off the end of the spit/point near camp. The fish were
biting. I caught four large steelhead and we ate one for lunch, excellent. One of the gold
colored Panther-Martin spinners worked best.
Elsa went for a paddle in Hobo Bay and saw seals. Later Elsa and I padded the
double to the stream and looked at salmon. Snagged one in the tail accidentally when
fishing in the stream and managed to land the monster after a long struggle. These fish
are large for ultralight gear and six pound test line.
The food seems to disappear faster today, perhaps everyone is getting hungry. A
pound and a half per person per day should be enough but not a lot of food. It appears
kayaking burns less than hiking - don't use the bug muscle groups. Elsa stored the fish for
eating in her trap. Last night it produced nothing but I'm sure she will try again tonight.
We stayed over a day in camp because of the excellent fishing and because Chuck
was tired. We plan to move up into the glaciers tomorrow.
Watched a duck go after a school of minnows near camp. The minnows appeared
to go into a ball shape. Soon a flock of gulls came to feast. While the duck dived for
minnows in the water, the gulls dive bombed with great success. The tide is coming up
and will soon approach a tarp guy line. The tent is pitched with a tarp awning.
August 12, 2005
The past two nights we camped at Notch campsite. The location is on a point overlooking
Surprise Glacier (3.4 miles distant and Harriman Glacier (more than six miles away). The
views were outstanding but the site was wet and buggy. Mostly some type of biting flies
with poor response to deet. Elsa picked a tent spot on a cliff above the ocean with views
of both glaciers. Surprise Glacier calved often and sounded like a coming thunderstorm
or a freight train just starting up with car couplings clanking loudly. We were too far
away to see the calving.
On the paddle into Barry Arm we crossed a shallow moraine with no problems; just past
the moraine we hit our first tide rip, albeit a minor one. The wind was coming from up
the arm and the tide was coming into the arm resulting in steep waves. They were only
less than a foot high but we experienced the phenomenon for the first time. After
reaching Harriman Fjord, where there is a left turn we came upon an eddy line and
change of water color; causing some consternation but no problems.
The Oystercatchers, four of them, hung out on a point of rocks b elow where we
cooked. We stayed two nights there, the first after a long paddle from Hobo Cove. On the
layover day we paddled over to examine Surprise Glacier. Arthur and Chuck took the
singles and came right back. Elsa and I took the double an additional thirteen miles or so
round trip up to Harriman Glacier. We got much closer to Harriman. There were caves in
the ice and water, a river, coming out of the glacier. Probably it will not be tidewater
much longer as gravel is visible along much of the bottom and the river appears to be
flowing on land beneath the ice. We stopped to take a break and walk on the snout of the
south flank of the glacier. A boat, the Discovery was nearby with kayakers. It appears to
be on of those adventure cruise types.
Today we paddled across and down the Fjord to Hinge campsite, very pretty on a
point with views of Coxe and Barry Glaciers. The calving is not as loud as Surprise
Glacier but produces more ice. The currents are interesting. As the tide rises the flow
goes along the deep channel toward Barry and then moves the ice out of Barry Arm and
into Harriman Fjord. This likely is caused by a buried moraine at the mouth of Harriman
Fjord. We are camped at the North end of this buried terminal moraine.
Few bugs at this site - what a relief! Weather is perfect, not a cloud in the sky;
how much longer can this last? Water is limited to pools of brown water, perfectly
acceptable, but not aesthetically pleasing.
The neck gasket on my drysuit failed when I took it off. We cut the gasket down
by one ring and Elsa taped it up with 3M clear duct tape. This is poor timing; although
new the gasket material seems to be a bad batch as the stuff we cut off tore very easily,
way too easily. This is an important safety issue, particularly when I get to Glacier Bay,
we will have to make the best of it and take the risks as they come.
August 13, 2005
We went over to look at the Coxe Campsite and see if was available. Turns out there was
no one there last night. Both Elsa and Otter wanted to stay. Small ice floes covered the
beach and we had to weave the kayaks through the ice. They drip in the sun and we use
them to fill our cups and water container.
The site is wonderful with a distant view of Harriman Glacier. Nearby we watch
calving from Cascade, Barry, and Coxe Glaciers. One of them caused some small waves
breaking on the beach. It’s interesting to go walking among the ice floes stranded on the
beach by the tide. I'm been waiting a very long time to see this sight. Arthur is busy
taking pictures. All of us took spit baths and washed clothes in the frigid stream water
coming off the glacier.
Paddling over here we went along the West side of the Arm and then crossed in
front of the glaciers, weaving our way through all the ice in the channel. The Feathercraft
seems to take the ice well so far, it just flexes.
The glacial silt seems to settle rapidly from the water leaving a couple inches of
clear water above a silty layer below. I can't think of a more spectacular campsite than
this. Once again the weather is perfect and there are no bugs; at least not yet.
August 18, 2005
Have not taken the chance to record for several days now. We left Harriman Fjord
through Barry Arm after camping below Coxe Glacier. In the morning we were in the
shade with temperatures around forty degrees. The arm was chocked with ice floes which
had calved off Cascade and (mostly) Barry Glacier during the previous evening and
night. We paddled through the ice with the red plastic kayak leading the way with Elsa at
the helm. This was a very nice experience.
A buoy in Barry Arm showed the current to be rapid going with us and we made
good time. The kids had been aroused early to ensure we had the tide with us. We
camped back at the same place at Hobo Cove and once again the fishing was excellent
and the views nice.
The next day we moved down bay and camped in Pirate Cove. The stream had
"thousands" of salmon spawning in it, mostly silvers. Chuck had a great time catching
fish out of the boiling mass of fish until his rod broke.
The next day, the sixteenth, we went all the way to the Emerald Island campsite inside
Passage Canal as bad weather was predicted. Clouds had come in but rain waited until
morning. As we paddled into Whittier on the seventeenth the east wind picked up causing
some waves near Whittier. This made for some exciting kayaking until we reached port.
It would be nice to get some practice in this type of water in order to better understand
the limits of the kayaks.
We stayed in the Anchor Inn, the workingman's place, for a reasonable price and
immediately spread out all the gear to dry. All the neoprene stuff really stinks. A major
task will be to dry it out on the boat.
Presently I am riding on the Kennecott towards Juneau and the next adventure.
Chuck is in Anchorage and will leave tomorrow. Otter and Elsa are hopefully on the
plane back to El Paso.
Tomorrow when I wake we will be elsewhere and seeing something new. Perhaps
the stench in my little berth will have subsided by then; or maybe I will be acclimated to
it.
August 21, 2005
Came into Juneau last night and stayed in Bergamont? Hotel. Don't recommend it.
Should have stayed in the Hostel. The young kids on the boat stayed there and said it was
excellent.
Saw the youngsters downtown and had beer with them at a bar then stumbled
back to the hotel to sleep. Next morning got up and went to Auke Bay via a taxi. Stopped
at a Fred Meyer near the airport and purchased some stove fuel.
Glacier Bay Express Ferry was excellent with an excellent crew. Saw a number of
Humpback Whales especially near Point Adolphus. The park has wheelbarrows to take
gear to and from the campground. The outside phone has free local calls. Why can't other
parks be set up as well? Met Rob who has kayaked extensively this summer.
Rory arrived on time and brought the new tarp. It is even nicer than I had hoped,
complete with guy lines and a self storage bag. It is the White Lightning by Granite Gear
ten by twelve feet.
Tomorrow we should be able to head out into the Beardsley Islands. Rob showed
us some locations where Humpback Whales were present in great numbers a few days
ago. We plan to camp near there tomorrow.
Glacier Bay Sea Kayaks has been wonderfully helpful with us. Highly recommended.
August 23, 2005
It is now after dark and Rory is sleeping. The sun sets around eight thirty. Basically south
eastern Alaska should be on Pacific time but is not. It gets light pretty early in the
morning to compensate.
Yesterday was hectic. First I got up and called the Post Office to see if my food
had arrived. It did and took three weeks from El Paso to get here. After much confusion
we got it set up where Rory and I would take a double and then they will bring my boat
and food out to Blue Mouse Cove on September fifth when Rory is picked up.
After getting the logistics worked out I had to build my Feathercraft Kahuna. It all
went smoothly; in fact I've never done as well before. I'm just slower at learning this stuff
than most. The portion I've always had trouble with was really slick when I did it right.
Although I watched the movie and read directions I just did not understand how to fit the
large cross braces correctly. After that we rushed to pack everything and fit it all in the
Expedition Beluga double which has too little storage space, especially for the bear proof
food bins.
The Bartlett Cove park facility is wonderful. Someone really thought this one
through. Wheel barrows are available to transport your gear from boat or car to the
campground. They provide free bear food canisters. The phone does free local calls.
There is a place to store your extra stuff. Wow.
We started off in a rush and the rudder pedals came off. Very difficult to control a
loaded double without the rudder. After we stopped to fix it all was OK. In order to fit
everything we had to paddle with bags around us and a large food container between my
legs.
We had heard from Rob, a guy who had just come in, that Humpback Whales
were near Beardsley Opening and Strawberry Island. We took a left turn after going
through the passageway north of Bartlett Cove and proceeded onward. We chose an
island to camp on but when we got close I checked the map and it was a closed area. We
headed to the next island to the west which turned out to be the easternmost point on
Strawberry Island. A truly great location with much wildlife. Oystercatchers, other birds I
cannot identify, dolphins, and we think sea lions, and otters. The currrent was very strong
as we came into the point. This is a full moon and the tide amplitude was peaking. The
double ate up all the turbulence coming into the point. We only had one glimpse of a
Humpback however.
The next day we packed to leave at low tide around ten thirty. We made it but had
to stop and fix the rudder again. A food canister had come loose and prevented the pedals
from moving. We then proceeded north along the edge of the Islands and then went just
to the east of, we thing, flapjack island. There was a large shallow area as the tide had
been very low and we barely snuck through. From there it was a magnetic north bearing
to our destination campground near a stream. We made it a bit past there and spied a
humpback in the cove. The instant decision was to camp on the point at the end of the
peninsula. Excellent choice. The initial bugs quickly cleared up. The only problem was
this Humpback which kept cruising around the point as close as fifty yards from our tent.
Even now after dark I can hear it. Many birds also fly past this point. Rory made a fire
and we had a nice supper. The bad weather predicted for today, rain and wind, never
materialized. Couldn't get much better than this.
Tomorrow, weather permitting, we will go up into Muir Inlet. We are near the
mouth right now and will be fine unless there is a strong northwest wind, the only
direction with large fetch. Rory is anxious to see the glaciers. She will soon get her wish.
We should get to McBride Glacier in two more days of paddling.
The new tarp is great; although we have had not had rain on it yet. It fully covers
the tent with a large awning and goes up easily. Has a place to put my paddle for front
support and the tent makes a rear support.
August 26, 2005
Today we are taking a rest day at McBride inlet. McBride Glacier calves into the
inlet and from there they go into the East Arm. It is cloudy, cold, and rains about half of
the time. Very little wind. Form the inside of the tent we can view the ice packed lagoon.
We chose our campsite based upon where we could land the kayak between the ice bergs.
Had pancakes for breakfast. Presently Rory is sleeping. She is tired from three hard days
in a row. The Beluga Expedition double is a fat and slow boat. The only thing good about
it is that is seems very stable. The three feet or so waves we have seen so far have never
really troubled us.
Yesterday we camped on a small beach to the north of Adams Inlet. One of those
cute isolated places with little room to walk about. It rained hard almost all the time.We
thought for awhile that we would have to layover there as the waves kept building in the
morning. However they backed off and we packed up. Just at launch time they came back
but never gave us problems. Waves, tailwind, and tide propelled us up towards McBride
Inlet. The beach was totally covered with clam shells.
The twenty fourth we paddled from Strawberry Island out to a point between
sandy and Spokane coves. We stopped when we saw a humpback in Spokane cove. We
watched the whale all evening and it was even around in the morning when Rory saw it
jump out of the water. We paddled north past Muir point past Adams Inlet. Some nice
waves tossed us around a bit but got better as we headed north behind some islands.
We are paddling in the drysuits in rainy weather and they really help. One hardly
notices when it starts raining. One can wade into the water to launch the boat and get into
the Alder to tie up the tarps without getting wet. In terms of the PDA, so far I have not
had to get into the reserve battery supply but today used the rechargeables for the first
time. The Iowa Solar AA charger thinks it is working right now under the tarp in the rain
based upon the flashing LEDs.
Pretty soon I will stir Rory out of the tent to paddle close to the calving ice face.
Well, its done now and we saw a great one. An entire large column of ice fell off. The
waves were about five feet. Like the Barry Glacier, they were very long wavelength and
thus like swells unless you are near shore or a large iceberg. The swells kept coming at s
and getting larger at something like a quarter to half a mile from the ice face. The waves
crashed against the near vertical rock walls and then reflected and refracted off them
leading to a successively more complex but smaller series of waves from all directions.
The commotion was still active fifteen minutes after the calving event. Saw a lot of seals
hauled out onto the ice. Their movements are funny and awkward out of the water.
Tomorrow we plan to move on to Riggs Glacier. It is raining all the time, we're
just getting acclimated and act like it has stopped when it slows to a drizzle. One gets a
very cozy feeling under the tent under the tarp during the rain. Hopefully we will see the
sun and dry things out sometime.
August 27, 2005
Today we got up early in order to get out of McBride Lagoon at high slack tide. Upon
exiting the tent around five thirty I saw the half moon peak out from the clouds. Turned
out to be a mostly cloudy day with maybe five or ten percent clear skies. The breeze was
very drying and we managed to dry out our gear especially my stinky neoprene boots and
the formerly stinky socks I had hand washed with little hope of them ever drying. Great
weather, nice and cool but not too cold, probably in the fifties mostly.
We paddled to Riggs Glacier and viewed it from the kayak. The camping area
didn't look that exciting to us and Rory suggested paddline further up the inlet to find a
camping spot. Excellent suggestion! We paddled until we passed an idyllic point we both
liked. We both seem to like to camp on little used points and at very small camping spots.
The tent is on a shelf we believe will be safe at high tide (currently low amplitude neap
tides) but all our beach disappears with the tide. Rory is currently keeping watch to make
sure the high tide at eight thirty PM doesn't inundate the tent or separate tarp shelter. We
will soon know.
Muir inlet is gorgeous and very different. Because of the recent retreat of Muir
Glacier the vegitation is still coming back. Near our camp the rocks are covered with
green moss and lichen. From a distance this mountain looks like a desert mountain such
as the Franklins. The other side of the inlet is more green and lush for unknown reasons.
This is our best campsite yet and we have had some very nice ones. Tomorrow we
will paddle to see Muir Glacier and then either move camp down bay or stay here another
night. Neither of us enjoy the task of breaking camp, loading kayak, unloading, and
making camp. It will be easier when I get into my own kayak and get rid of extra food
canisters so that there is space enough to make packing easy.
For future trips the best strategy is probably to be taken out by boat with all your
food, make a stash of food containers, and periodically come back to resupply. At the end
get picked up so that you never have to transport all the food containers at once. A related
option is to get more compact food.
August 30, 2005
Yesterday we stayed at our point near Muir Glacier and it was sunny all day. In the
morning we set out for a quick day trip to the glacier, about three miles away. Although
the waves had seemed small from camp, despite the whitecaps, they turned out to be
larger than anticipated. We had thought the small fetch would limit the size but that
turned out to be wrong. We stopped on shore and put on the dry suits. When we went
back out the wind had picked up even more and there were whitecaps with three feet
waves. Although the double kayak was very stable we thought it best to go back to camp
and wait. After a couple hours lazing around camp the wind retreated and we set off
again. As we rounded the final bend and had the glacier in sight a katabatic wind began
and it was a lot of work to get to land. There is a large gently sloping deposit coming our
from the glacier and at low tide it was difficult to pull the kayak up to a safe location. We
managed to walk it up the steam and then walked closer to the glacier. We were both
paranoid the kayak would be blown out to sea and we would be stranded. When you have
only one kayak it is best to keep the beacon on one's person.
Muir glacier has retreated tremendously over the years. One of our electronic maps
showed the glacier right at our campsite, now some three miles away.
The next day we paddled something like sixteen miles to Hunter Cove and had a
nice camp there. The fall colors are really coming on now and will only get better. After
our day of pure sunshine it was raining again by morning and has rained off and on ever
since. It is now eleven AM on the thirtieth and we have not decided if we will be lazy and
stay in camp or move on to our next destination today. We both like a pattern of camping
in the same location for two days and then paddling hard. Minimized the drudge work of
breaking camp, setting up camp, loading and unloading the kayak. This is a great spot
with views and birds. Haven't tried the fishing yet but will if we decide to stay until
tomorrow. The beach in front is too shallow but there is a rocky cliff a few hundred yards
away and there might be a fishing spot there.
We are right across from where we saw the brown bear coming in. It came down
to the stream, caught and ate one fish, then moved on as we watched from the kayak. The
bears must be pretty satisfied this time of year as there is plenty to eat, as long as you like
salmon.
September 3, 2005
We went from Hunters Cove to Sebree Island and camped on the shouth eastern portion
of the island. A small cove and peninsula made a very nice sheltered camping location
with NOAA weather access. Next day we headed up the eastern shore of the west arm
toward Tidal Inlet. Many cliffs along the shore with some sheltered spots. We were
fighting head winds and some waves all day and I got very tired. We stopped at a very
nice cove a couple of miles short of Tidal Inlet and just across from Blue Mouse Cove.
The following day, September 2 we crossed the bay to Blue Mouse Cove and then headed
into Hugh Miller Inlet to a nice campsite. The wind was coming strong down the bay
throughout the entire crossing and the three foot waves started white capping. Too late to
change and the waves were directly down the bay so we just kept quartering the waves to
be stable and eventually reached the middle of the island south of Blue Mouse Cove. We
went along the eastern shore of the island up to the cove and dropped off three of the food
containers. Great to get rid of that shit so we can finally fit in the kayak without junk all
over. A couple from the Netherlands was giving up early after two days out in the rain. Ir
finally stopped raining on the second and we had a great evening in camp including the
rum we had found in Hunters Cove. Some group had accidentally forgotten their booze
dry bag.
Today we went to Carpentier Inlet to check it out. Caught a fish in the stream to eat.
Many waterfalls. Now we are back in camp, the same camp and Rory is taking a nap.
She was very tired today.
September 5, 2005
Well I've made it through my first time alone. The day had an inauspicious beginning.
Rory and I packed up and headed around the island for the pickup location at Blue Mouse
Cove. The way we came in is only open at high tide and the tide was now fairly low.
Unfortunately neither of us bothered to study the map. It turns out our alternative route is
also only open at high tide. Rather than paddle further we portaged the kayak over the
divide. OK except for some deep mud. It was raining hard all day.
At the pickup we set up the tarp at a location where I could sort gear and load my kayak
then float it off at high tide. Well, we missed the spot and I had a mess. First they picked
Rory up late so it was later in the tide. Then we forgot to load the extra bear bin, leaving
me with a more complex task. I tried to move the tarp to higher ground but failed and had
a mess on my hands trying to move gear from the water and keep the tarp up. Finally
gave up and sorted out in the hard rain. What a mess. Stashed some food in the woods in
the extra bear container and threw a little extra gear on top of the kayak. I like avoid this
because when it gets rough out the on deck stuff destabilizes the kayak. Waves hit it and
increase the turning moment, it raises the center of gravity, and increases frontal area
when going into a head wind.
After our messy portage I was skeptical of the northern passage out of Skidmore bay and
did not want to wait another day to get through. The boat crew said the seas were small
out in the main bay so I took that route along about five miles of steep cliffy shore. There
were few spots to pull out but mostly the waves were OK. Got a big scare from the waves
caused by a large cruise boat in combination with increased wind and waves going
around a point. Again I wasn't patient. Upon seeing the very large cruise ship I worked
hard to get into a little sort of cove with rocks rather than cliffs for shore to avoid the
chaotic rebound reflection, refraction waves one gets from cliffs. The wind had picked up
and we already had two to three feet active waves.
Well, I decided that the cruise ship waves must have come through and were nothing and
proceeded around the next, very cliffy point with greater waves and wind exposure. Just
at the wrong time I saw big whitecaps and the wave size increased; decided to turn
around and pull out at the very nominal beach I had just passed. Well, I turned back in
time to have the really big waves breaking behind me, much more difficult than facing
them. Once I reached safety the waves were gone and eventually I went back around the
point. The lesson is that I should have waited patiently in the safe location until I was
sure the cruise ship waves had passed given how difficult the conditions were without
them.
Eventually came to a small cove with a minimal beach to make camp. Went to the far end
where it seemed higher even if rocky. This is the new moon tide tonight so one has to get
pretty high and the sandy gravel beaches were very small and not all that high. Excellent
for a neap tide but not tonight. The problem with the site I chose, I discovered too late, is
that it has very very shallow groundwater; about a centimeter or less. Basically I'm
camped on a large seep which is active when it rains this hard. Too late to move now but
I changed the tent and tarp location to make the best of it. With only one in the tent a
perfect spot is no longer necessary.
Sure miss Rory. She's really great to be with and camping is much easier with two to split
the work. I was exhausted by setting up camp and just finished eating at dark. Stayed in
the drysuit until the end. The hard rain continues into the night. Trying the fist candle in
the tent as a warmer with a campfire ambiance. It seems to really warm and dry the tent
as I hoped, at least that's the preliminary reading. Unfortunately I only have about six of
them, enough for an occasional treat.
Tomorrow the goal is Reid Glacier and inlet, assuming the wind will cooperate. If not I'll
stay here and work. The kayaking should be easier as the shoreline is more mellow and
allow me to pull out if conditions get rough on the water. Tonight it was against the tide
and the wind as I worked my way along the shoreline. We will see about tomorrow. This
is not a campsite or tarp pitching to write home about, but the tent is currently dry and
comfortable. Much gear got a little wet during the kayak loading. Hopefully the rain will
let off some time during the next sixteen days so things can dry, but it is rainy season in a
rainy place.
September 6, 2005
As rough as yesterday was, today has been that good. Got up at 5:30 with minimal light
and cooked breakfast while packing. Managed to get off at 8:15 AM. Most everything fit
inside the kayak. Just before leaving saw a sea lion close to camp swimming bye. Frist
time I've seen one so well. Just as the map said, the kayaking was around one small and
one large point before reaching the low area where Scidmore Bay has a northern entrance
at high tide. Many good camping areas here. The ranger says the route through goes at
tide greater than 14.5, Bartlett Cove charts. That looks about right. The next miles had
headlands mixed with coves. Most of the coves offered protection and many had
excellent camping spots. Pulled into Reid Inlet at 10:30; excellent time for a nine mile
paddle considering much of the paddling was against the wind and tide. The early start
was intended to minimize the winds and waves that scared me yesterday. At first it
seemed the wind was rising but it transformed into a gentle rain with pretty much flat
water. Paddling in those conditions is really pleasant, no anxiety about taking a spill
along side a cliff; the wildlife and scenery are great. The fall colors which started when
Rory and I arrived are about to peak. Paddling towards the glaciers the vegetation is early
succession and has more fall colors than the mature forest.
Upon entering the Reid Lagoon it was still low tide; instead of hauling the gear up a huge
low tide beach I paddled the two miles or so each way to the ice face. It is no longer
tidewater at low tide, only high tide; allowing one to approach very close. I went about
200 yards from the ice, as close as the water went but saw no reason to get out of the
kayak for a closer look. Only the western section is calving. Now the tide has peaked and
the glacier has calved several times. I doubt this one will be tidewater much longer.
The camping spot is excellent, large, and apparently well used, but in great shape. Pitched
the cooking tarp near the estimated high water point and this time got it right, although I
was worried about having to move it again when the tide peaked about 4:15 PM.
Tomorrow its on to Lamplugh Glacier assuming the wind and waves are OK. What
happens after that depends upon the waves and wind. I'm not excited about trying
something too bold with a late season solo trip with a leaky drysuit. I would rather go
back to the sheltered Beardslee Islands and spend more time working on my book.
I'm in the tent early and plan to go to sleep early as well. The early starts make a lot of
sense for solo travel as one has a lot more leeway if something goes awry.
The cruise ships seem to come in here about nine or so in the morning then go on a
counterclockwise tour of Tarr and Johns Hopkins Inlets.
September 7, 2005
Great day until just after supper at six. I'm at the North side of Johns Hopkins Inlet,
brown bear country. Saw the firs one just after crossing from the kayak. It ran after seeing
me in the kayak, excellent sign. Went further into the inlet to view the glacier and look
for camping sites. The one furthest in had no views so I camp back to one across from
Lamluaugh Glacier. Excellent views of Johns Hopkins and Lamplaugh as well as
mountains across the way.
This morning left from Reid Inlet at seven fifty in the morning, a time I will beat
tomorrow. Lamplaugh is nice but the camping was around the bend with no view so I
crossed to the other side. Was concerned about a cruise ship coming around the bend
from Tarr Inlet at the wrong time so had the radio ready to make sure they knew I was
there. At the same time the ship had just entered Tarr Inlet and that should take more than
an hour before getting to Johns Hopkins. Just as planned it came around the point about a
half hour after I was safely across. Again the water was smooth and glassy, really
wonderful, and the views here are outstanding. The nearby mountains have some new
snow on them and fall colors are here.
I liked this campsite because it is bound in on two sides by cliffs, so brown bears should
not be cruising the shore as much. Especially I liked the cliff near my tent. As I was
finishing up the Mountain House a big brown bear came rambling along the supposedly
impregnable cliff. I waved the paddle float while walking toward him and it responded by
heading up at first but then it just basically ignored me. Then it moved in the direction of
the tent so I approached again and blew the whistle, while holding bear spray in each
hand. Fortunately the wind was not blowing much. It went behind the tent into the bushes
on the slope, hopefully to go around my camp. Sat on a rock to watch and pretty soon
saw him grazing in the bushes near me and the food location. Not sure if he wanted in
food in the bear canisters or just wandered out there. Anyway I blew the whistle again
and moved very slowly toward him. He rambled along the beach in the direction he was
going initially but did not hurry at all. Certainly wasn't scared. His pants are clean.
The initial plan was to spend two nights here and take a day trip into Johns Hopkins Inlet
tomorrow. That has been scratched; assuming I last the night I will head out as soon as
possible in the morning sans breakfast and probably try for Tarr Inlet. There is a very
nice campsite location there across from a glacier. It depends on the bear and the weather.
If there is wind and waves I will cross over the way I came and try to make the campsite
just short of Lamplaugh. We will have to see what happens. Hopefully I will get some
sleep tonight but I'm not optimistic. Not sure how nocturnal brown bears are; it would
make sense that they are most active during the day, but I don't really know and am
always most concerned when I can't see.
September 8, 2005
Got up early, no breakfast, no coffee, all in a rush packed up and was off by 6:50. Saw no
more of my friend the big brown bear fortunately. Paddled toward Tarr Inlet. Everything
was calm that early; a clear day following a clear cold night. The high mountains all have
fresh snow on them. During the night Johns Hopkins glacier kept calving, especially as
the tide was rising. You would hear this crack, sometimes eventually followed by a
greatly delayed splashing of waves. Understand that the campsite was about seven miles
from the glacier, so those started out as big waves.
Entered Tarr Inlet on the West side, a continuation of where I had been.
Continuous cliffs as far as I went, no place to land for safety. I wasn't sure what would
happen and did not want to camp along the brown bear track again; so I began the
crossing just past the mouth, watching out for cruise ships coming in. Got about two
thirds across and started to get glassy waves on the glassy surface; really strange, you
can't properly see and react to them. They were either related to calving or left over from
a previous wind, I thing the latter. Suddenly the Katabatic wind began to blow off the
glacier some eight miles away. Quickly the waves picked up and I furiously paddled for
shore while quartering the waves. Eventually shore was reached. The Feathercraft
Kahuna seems to be very stable in the waves and shows no signs of flipping over;
however I don't think kayaks give much warning, so I'm not sure how much margin I
really had. The neck gasket on the drysuit is a tatters now and would leak like a sieve.
Upon reaching the safe looking shore it turned out to be large rocks; better than a cliff as
I could land there in an emergency. Kept paddling up the shore trying to make a good
looking, more sheltered area ahead. Eventually it turned to all large waves and whitecaps
everywhere; too much even for a pseudo safe shoreline. In desperation I saw about
twenty feet of sand to land on and took it. Just leaned over towards the sand for each new
wave while getting out of the kayak. It worked, didn't even get wet.
Sat around on the shore and ate a late and very much needed breakfast and hot Gautam's
tea while sheltering behind a rock from the wind. Checked the place out and there were
some small potential tent sites tucked into the willows; someone had the same problem a
few years ago perhaps. For one person in a tent one does not need a prefect site. As the
wind had not abated I decided to camp. The wind continued to blow until about two or
three in the afternoon but by then camp was all set up and I didn't want to break and set it
twice in a day; after all the load, unload, take down and set up are the big chores.
Being ensconced on the shore that does not have seasonal closures for bears (the previous
night's site is closed from June through August and I can see why) I felt very secure
reading under the tarp. That is until two brown bears meandered into camp coming along
the shore. These bears must not be as astute as people indicate because I saw them first
despite their superior sense of smell. Of course they were coming from upwind. I shouted
and stood on a rock to look tall and they scampered up the hill out of sight. Unlike the
large one yesterday, I didn't see them peeking at me out of the nearby bushes a few
minutes later. Amazing how quiet these large creatures are, even in the brush. These two
are probably two years old or so, only about 500 or so pounds apiece. At least they had
some fear of me, unlike the one last night. I'm much less scared this time. I'll leave early
in the morning but will probably eat first. Tomorrow I will peak around the next bend at
the glacier and then head to Russell Island to camp. From there, weather permitting, I can
cross over and retrace my path back to Blue Mouse Cove; or maybe I will stay on this
side. After getting socked three times, once today, once with Rory, and leaving Blue
Mouse Cove the fires time into wind and waves I'm a but spooked with big crossings and
long cliffy areas.
The glacial views are great here, especially on a rare clear day with fresh snow
high up. However at this point I prefer the greater wildlife lower down in the bay and am
not at all excited about chasing brown bears out of my camp each day. I'm anxious to get
safely into the Beardlee Islands and do my work. Got everything charged up today and
now have tons of extra batteries so there's no real chance of running out of power.
September 9, 2005
This morning started early again; packing the kayak is getting much easier. The high tide
is also moving into the early morning hours so one doesn’t have to carry gear so far. The
bears didn't come back, or at least I didn't see them if they did.
Paddled up Tarr Inlet on another perfect day. The wind never came up at all
today. Only about a five mile or so paddle so this counts as the needed day of rest. Really
got a workout yesterday trying to make the shore and a camp in the wind and waves. An
intense workout of a couple hours is more taxing than easy paddling all day. Decided to
go ahead and camp at the head of Tarr Inlet across from Margerie Glacier and at the
snout of Grand Pacific Glacier. Grand Pacific is very dark and rocky; doesn't calve much.
From a distance it looks like a superhighway into the mountains, wonderful view.
Margerie Glacier is the big tourist attraction; pretty white and blue; lots of seracs; calves
often; and winds up to Mount Fairweather. On this clear day I believe I'm seeing
Fairweather all covered with fresh snow. The glacier splits and winds to the tops of
several peaks. It is spectacular. So far I haven't had any company in camp but its only
four PM, just about time for my large brown friends to come greeting. I wear my
necklace of pepper spray everywhere. At least I don't feel completely naked with it.
Tomorrow begins the long meandering journey back towards Bartlett Cove. My biggest
concerns are wind, waves, and large boat waves on the major crossings and along the
extensive cliff bands where there is no place to get out. If I can get four days out of the
next twelve to be as calm as today all will be easy. I'm sure there will be plenty of
surprises along the way like yesterday's Katabatic wind coming out of nowhere during a
major crossing.
This trip really was a great idea and has worked very well so far, assuming either the
water or bears don't get me. There are essentially no more kayakers left in the park except
me. The shuttle and rental services are closed for the winter.
The behavior of the cruise boats around the glacier face is interesting. They allow
two huge cruise ships and one or more moderate sized ones to come in each day. The first
big boat today got very close to the face of Margerie Glacier, showing that the calving
face is over twice as high as the boat. The second one never got nearly as close.
Interesting what difference a captain makes. They come in front of the glacier and hang
out for about twenty minutes or so while making announcements about it. I can hear them
speaking but can't quite make it out from here.
Mt Fairweather now has a cloud on top, the clouds are returning and I would bet
on rain by morning. What I wouldn't have bet on was two full days withoug rain and
much sunshine. Everything is now dry and the dry out will have lasting effects for several
days of rain if one is careful. Tomorrow should be an easy load as high tide will be just
an hour or so before I get off. Plan to go to Russell Island and then see from there. That's
nine miles to this side of it where there is a campsite for sure May try going around the
southern end to prepare for a possible crossing the next day. If tomorrow is like today, in
terms of being calm, I will go ahead and cross over tomorrow evening. Better to be tired
and have it done with. One is very exposed in the main channel down there as the wind
and waves tend to channel down there.
September 10, 2005
Made it about fourteen miles to the southeast tip of Russell Island. I kind of assumed I
was there when I reached the northwest end of the island but going around was long and
took some time. A major question was the availability of camping sites on the portion of
the island I wanted. The map said it was not too steep, but these large contour intervals
can hide a lot. Anyway there was a very nice looking camping site in a tiny cove just to
the north of the island tip and a pretty good site right on the tip. I debated it and decided I
most wanted to be able to watch the open water crossing to see what was happening with
it and thus picked the site on the point. Unloading at low tide is a pain, made worse by a
poor beach and being tired; even with the current neap tide. A walk along the site showed
a lot of large animal activity, although I didn't notice the very large bear scat very near
my tent until much after it was set up. The trails leading into the hillside are most
certainly from brown bears; never seen anything near that large from a black bear. Filled
with red berries, a cracked up knee joint, a finger; no just berries. At this point I'm way
too tired to get worried about the bears.
Camp is set up nicely with a view over the crossing to Ibach Point. This is the
next major hurdle in the trip and I will try it tomorrow, even with wind and waves unless
there are whitecaps. Worked on the failed neck gasket for the drysuit in an effort to make
it tight enough to get at least a partial neck seal again. This time only put on one layer of
tape to keep it more flexible. Hopefully I'll never find out how it works!
It has definitely gotten colder, and its not just the proximity of the glaciers. Today
I paddled with two full layers on both top and bottom and was comfortable. It is now too
cold to sit under the tarp and enjoy coffee, food, and a stogie. The drysuit is still the best
raingear going it is actually more comfortable when it rains because you can then plan on
the temperature being fairly constant; not like sun going in and out of clouds.
Last night had all my clothes on inside the sleeping bag and stayed quite warm;
however there is no more margin left. Always feel better when there is something else
that can be used if needed.
Blue Mouse Cove is about eighteen miles from here assuming a reasonable route
along the coast. If the winds are low I will try to make it all the way tomorrow while
riding the high tide down the bay. The winds seem to mostly blow down bay from the
top; making my return potentially much faster but not as safe. The easiest thing with a
kayak is to face the wind; going downwind is exciting but potentially dangerous for a
novice like me.
It began raining today about eight or so in the morning and it has continued. At
this point handling the rain is easy; the only limitation is the visibility. About half the
time I can't even make out the distant shore about two miles away. If I were alone that
would be no problem as a compass would cure the problem; the issue is the large cruise
ships using the same channel. Tomorrow I will a) leave early to try to beat them, b) put
the headlamp in fash mode and fix it to the kayak, and c) put the radio on my lap to allow
me to call them. I tried to call one passing today but it did not answer; although I only
tried once.
May the berries on Russell Island be plentiful!
September 11, 2005
Well, it was another great day! Got up early to make the crossing from Russell Island to
Ibach Point. Really its a pretty short crossing but I was worried after my recent
experience with Katabatic Winds coming out of nowhere. Also I was worried about
cruise ships if visibility was poor again. Thought it best to get the crossing done before
any arrived.
The sky was mostly clear and there was little wind. During the crossing the wind
kept threatening to rise up, but it never did. The whole day went the same way, about
50% or more blue skies and very little wind. As was the plan, I went all the way to Blue
Mouse Cove, some eighteen miles. Arrived about eleven AM, making great time. Picked
up the food and fishing gear previously cashed at the drop point and lashed it onto the top
of the kayak, then paddled near the stream in Blue Mouse Cove and camped on a point
nearby. Watched a black bear near the stream for some time. He/she seems to have a den
near the stream location. I yelled and the bear went into the woods; that's what I like to
see. Given the high usage of this area in the summer, this bear is unlikely to be a
problem. If it had raided a camp before, the area would be closed for camping, and it is
not.
Have some new ideas for getting more below deck in the kayak. Deflate the
sponsons prior to loading then re-inflate them. That should give a critical inch or two of
give in some key locations when sliding things in. Re-inflation should then lock much of
the stuff in place. Not sure why I didn't think of this before.
My arms are very sore and tired. I really wanted to put in even more miles today;
its hard to stop at eleven in the morning; even when you get on the water about six thirty,
just before sunrise. However it would likely have led to injury or becoming weak the next
day. Tomorrow I would like to make the northern end of Geikie Inlet where it looks like
there should be camping spots. The south side looks cliffy for awhile and may not have
pull out spots. Will soon check that on the electronic map with more detail. Two ten mile
days should put me within striking range of the bay crossing. I would like to make that
ASAP as the tides are now rapidly rising in amplitude each day. It all depends upon the
weather; hopefully more of the same.
The wildlife is great in the cove. Just prior to entering thousands of ducks were
arrayed all across the bay; must be one or two square miles of thick ducks. Perhaps they
are getting ready to migrate. They make a racket when you have to paddle through them.
The cove has loons and many other birds I can't identify; plus is has apparently (we'll
know tomorrow morning) timid black bears as opposed to the bore grizzly of a few days
ago.
Basically a perfect day; spent the rest of the day setting up camp and watching the
scenery and wildlife. It is now seven PM and still very light although the sun has gone
behind the mountain. The main thing is that there was a sun! I'm getting pretty lonely and
feel quite exposed now that I appear to be the only kayaker in at least this arm of the park
if not the entire park. The ranger said I'd probably have the park to myself now and that
seems to be true except for the ##$%## cruise boats with their bit waves and the fear they
will run you down during a crossing. Having no one else around really makes one feel
exposed and vulnerable.
Currently the water across the arm is like glass; sure wish I could make the
crossing now; but its twenty miles or so away from here.
September 12, 2005
Looking out the tent at 5:30 AM the seas were calm. The kayak got loaded quickly but
with less rush than in the past few days; fewer miles to go today and much of it near
shore. The goal was to make it about eleven miles to the north side of Geikie Inlet. That
would allow getting in striking distance of the bay crossing the following day. Upon
arriving at Geikie the seas were still calm. I was hesitant to head for the southern shore as
there is a long cliffy section on that side and a ways after that. However its important to
strike when conditions are right. All day I worked on a longer distance paddling stroke. I
tend to go too hard and then tire out. On a bicycle I can pace myself and go indefinitely;
not so with paddling. Its more difficult to judge because the paddling is never aerobic.
The revised stroke has a slower cadence and less power applied. Since the effort per mile
goes with the square of the velocity, a low power stroke and patience will take one farther
prior to tiring and/or having the joints complain. This is especially true when going with
the tide, albeit a very small tide.
With the seas calm and a gently swirling wind we kept on going until past noon
and arrived about one mile north of Finger Bay, making for a twenty mile day. The last
three days have been about fourteen, eighteen and now twenty miles. The left shoulder is
now hurting again, it had hurt in August and then all the joint problems cleared up; the
last three days were just too much. Tomorrow, if it goes, will be about eleven miles but
that will be the last hard day. This is an excellent jumping off point for a bay crossing. I
will cross tomorrow if conditions are good. The weather deteriorated this afternoon with
fog and some wind. The crossing can't be done without visibility because of the large
cruise ships. They are too fast for me to get out of the way.
If the crossing won't go I'll try to move camp out to Willoughby Island which is as
far as one can go without making the crossing. If this fog doesn't lift even that won't be
possible. At best this is a one night spot as the site is too low to take a full tide and the
tide is now growing. Storms and wind are coming so hopefully I can make the crossing in
the next two days; otherwise I'm in trouble. We will see tomorrow. Passed a bald eagle
on a perch about every mile or so today, but no humpbacks in Widbey Passage. The
water is now clear and the forest is mature. The change in the forest over the past three
days has been dramatic. From shrubs only to a more mature rain forest.
The drysuit now has three rips in the neck gasket and cannot be repaired anymore.
I will just have to not tip over. Currently its cold and rainy but very cozy in the tent,
assuming this evening's tide doesn't wash me out. If conditions are poor tomorrow I may
hike along the shore to look for a higher camping area.
September 13, 2005
Woke up several times early and peeked out to look at the conditions. Breaking waves
could be heard on the shore much of the night. At six it was too foggy to be a go, except
perhaps to Whilloughby Island which could be done on a compass bearing. Rolled over
and went back to sleep. About seven thirty visibility was sufficient to at least see the
other side. Packed up and listened to weather from NOAA and the park service. This is
the first day in awhile when I was close enough to headquarters to obtain radio reception.
Report was for west wind twenty mph in the morning and fifteen in the afternoon. I
decided to go for it if possible and packed up. Left at nine AM, high tide was at ten-thirty
now so, assuming an hour to make Willoughby Island, most of the crossing would be
during high slack. Waves were two to three feet, mostly down bay, parallel to my
direction. At this point I am comfortable paddling in those conditions and it is rare to
have no waves in the center of the bay.
I had tried fixing the dry suit gasket last night and thought I had it. Put it on and
the fourth rip opened on the neck gasket. The crude backup was to take my neck warmer
and tighten it with a velcro strap around my neck; trying to turn it into a slow leaker
rather than a gusher. If the drysuit is needed I'm in trouble anyway. Tried calling Bartlett
Cove on the radio to check reception - none. I'm all alone on this one.
At Willoughby Island north side (nice camping spots here it looks like) conditions
were the same and I decided to go for it. A big cruise ship was just passing so I headed
behind it and no more were in sight. Waves and wind seemed to change throughout the
crossing but mostly the waves were heading south to southeast and I was headed north of
Flapjack Island, east southeast. For awhile at the end I had a good tail wind. It never got
rough and I was pretty relaxed the entire time. Passed the shoals on the north end of
Flapjack and was officially across. Was thinking how to celebrate: the whiskey is almost
gone, stogies running low, but wait there's an unopened vacuum pack of one of my
favorite coffees; that will do. Even better a friend came bye in the form of a big
humpback whale, much better than the vices. Camped very near where I had panned on
the map; a point at the north end of the Beardslees near the high tide passage into the
islands. The sky cleared up and it was actually shorts and t-shirt weather as long as one
stayed in the sunshine. Got out of that hot drysuit ASAP and brewed up some full
strength coffee, the heck with saving the supply, this is a celebration. I am now back to
where the weather is of little concern; at least in terms of kayaking. The humpback has
appeared on and off out in Beartrack Cove. With the mostly clear skies the view to the
north is outstanding and its great looking out there knowing that the circuit has been
completed; with many unexplored side bays for future trips.
Plan to stay over for a day tomorrow although part of me just wants to keep
moving. Hard to stay put when by oneself. Definitely one feels all alone during the
crossings and bear encounters. Will make plans for a trip through the Beardlee Islands
next. There are two major bays I want to see. One issue will be water. Given the really
great weather this past week: raining one third of the time, cloudy one third of the time,
and partly cloudy one third, many of the standard water seeps have dried up. The
Beardslees are small islands without major streams. Will have to plan to stop on the
mainland at a stream to pick up more water.
September 14, 2005
This was a day for recovery. Its very hard to stay put when alone as one gets bored and
wants to be out paddling; however the sore shoulders don't agree. Spent most of the day
reading mystery short stories, watching the humpback whales, and watching a black bear
and cub graze around the camp area. The weather was perfect, mostly clear and cool,
probably in the fifties all day. Finally I have retired to my tent with a view to read in
sheltered comfort. The views from this point and the wildlife are just outstanding.
The tentative goal for tomorrow is Kidney Island in Hutchins Bay. From that
point I'm not sure. Without some greater goal its tempting to just head back to Bartlett
Cove and come home early. I love this area but am lonely and itching for a change of
pace after all the kayak camping I have done. Perhaps I will take a day trip from Kidney
Island, but my basic policy is not to do day trips when alone; better to have all the gear
with you in case something happens, but that is too much work given the time to break
and set up camp, especially when alone. The weather is supposed to be nice again
tomorrow and then get nasty for the weekend. Perhaps I"ll go in for the bad weather, but I
prefer the camping spots out here to Bartlett Cove as I have views from the tent here and
am very comfortable camping in the rain. We shall see what happens.
September 15, 2005
Waited for close to high tide to make it through the northern passageway into the
Beardlees. Actually I got impatient and pushed the loaded kayak over a few rocks to
launch as I had loaded it up a little too high on the bank. My lack of patience cost dearly.
Turns out I put a small hole in the bottom. With the sea sock one doesn't notice this but
when I unloaded the kayak there was water in it and there never has been significant
water in it before. There was perhaps a half gallon or so of water in the bottom. Put on a
temporary fix to the very small hole with aquaseal and that should hold for now. Have
decided there will only be one more day of paddling as a bunch of bad weather is coming.
At this point I'm not enthused about sitting out in my tent in the rain by myself; given that
I really really stink. One can wash the body but the clothes are the problem and there is
no way to dry them once washed with the rainy weather. Tentatively I will stay over an
extra day here and paddle in Saturday morning in the middle of the predicted rain. It is
predicted to rain and blow pretty much for the next week starting tomorrow evening.
Well, it was supposed to start tomorrow evening, turns out its raining right now.
Camped on the eastern most portion of Kidney Island. Went to a stream to
refresh the water supplies then out here. Took a walk here and found two springs near
camp so the water really wasn't needed, but who knew. Its been a really great trip but its
time for a shower and moving on to something else. If the lodge were still open I'd drop
in, take a shower, wash the clothes, then go back out. But they are closed and nothing is
available at Bartlett Cove anymore except the campground. At least with the shelter and
wood stove the clothes can be hand washed and then dried near the stove.
September 18, 2005
Packed up early and came back to Bartlett Cove yesterday morning. The opening back
was closed until high tide. I knew that but still couldn't get myself to sleep in. The river
normally runs to the north into the Beardlees but a passage out to the cove opens at high
tide. Paddled and pulled upstream to the upper opening and waited there for the tide to
rise. There were anemones in the channel and it continued to drain from a pool higher up.
Eventually the channel opened and I was fairly surprised. The thinking was that the
coming tide would be an inch or so higher on the upstream, Bartlett Cove side as it has to
pass through the narrows to make it there. Thought that would require an inch or so of
head difference; instead there was six inches or more of head difference and the water
came rushing through like a roaring river. Managed to paddle upstream through it with a
lot of effort and staying in the backwaters. At the dock were a bunch of fishing boats;
they open it up to others in the off season.
Camped at Bartlett Cove and it rained as expected. Left the next morning on a
Cessna to Juneau. Calling Expedia there was an issue because Expedia had given me a
paper ticket and could not change it but the airlines said that, because I got an internet
price, they could only change their part; meaning one must rebook the thing when
arriving in Seattle and repeat bringing the baggage through security and pay the extra
weight fee again. Decided to try the hostel and it is very nice, but one must be gone from
nine AM until five PM and that will be a pain. Its nice to be around a bunch of interesting
people; much nicer as well as cheaper than a hotel.
September 19, 2005
Sitting in Juneau Library. Took bus out to the airport this morning and changed flight to
six AM tomorrow to Seattle but am unsure what will happen from there. Must retrieve
the luggage from baggage and then go try to change the America West paper ticket,
assuming there is enough time. Very likely I won't make it back to El Paso.
Went to the local Alaskan Brewery and was fed much free beer; then went to the
museum. Now sitting at the library checking email. Will stay at the hostel again tonight
then head out very early tomorrow.