|
Part
1
June 8th, 2002
We awake at 5:30 am and leave Anchorage by 6:00 am. I wash down a
Dramamine in the car with black coffee as I anticipate the rough boat ride
ahead. This is the start of a great sea kayak trip which my mother
organized several months in advance. My mother has been kayaking and
guiding in the oceans and bays of Alaska for over 15 years. We have two
single kayaks and enough gear and food to enjoy most any situation. We will
be camping and paddling for the next 8 days and I thought this would be
great opportunity to spend some time with my mother in "her
environment." We have to catch a charter at 7:00 am in Whittier and
the marine weather forecast for today is 6-8 foot seas with 35 knot winds.
These are not ideal conditions, but very
 |
|
The kayaks
loaded onto "Sound Access" with it's unique front-loading
ramp.
|
common for
the waters around Alaska's Prince William Sound. We drive through the
one-way railroad tunnel road towards Whittier. Whittier used to be
accessible only by railroad & boats, but they now allow cars to drive
the narrow tunnel between train schedule. We meet Gerry at the harbor right
on time. He is the captain of "Sound Access", a 30 foot custom
aluminum boat powered by twin 115 hp, 4-stroke motors. Sound Eco
Adventures has been operated by Gerry since 1987. He specializes in
wildlife trips and also a great charter service for kayakers. We load the
kayaks onto the top of the boat and headout into the wind and rain beyond
the breakers. Though we are often sheltered from the stormy conditions by
islands and narrow passages we make several exposed crossings that give the
full flavor of the rough seas. At times we are in 6-foot seas with a
curtain of spray covering the full length of the boat. Gerry explains that
the decks are self-bailing and displays a calm, professional manner
throughout the day. This is a whale watching trip and the other two
passengers are a couple from Alabama. In the morning, we see one humpback
spouting at a distance and many sea otters bobbing in the kelp beds.
After a beach stop for lunch, we sea more
spouts from a distance. Gerry cuts the throttle and we see the dark back of
a humpback glide gracefully out of the water and exhale loudly. There are
shrieks of delight and amazement that we saw anything at all on such a gray
weather day. The Alabama couple will have much to talk about when they
return to their hotel tonight. My mother and I are dropped at the end of
the day near Applegate Island at the southern end of Culross Passage. We
say our goodbyes and quickly setup camp before the steady rain intensifies.
My mother manufacters her own tents called the "Serenity
Shelter". These are a 10' x 10' floorless screen tent with a
waterproof roof. It uses just one pole and one kayak paddle to make an
excellent cook tent in most any weather condition. I will praise this tent
often throughout the trip! We enjoy a delicous supper in the "Serenity
Shelter" and go to sleep as the rain continues to fall. At 3:30 am, I
roll onto my back and make a very loud "snorkle" sound. My mom
quickly leaps up with the bear spray in hand and says, "You get out of
here!" "It's me snoring, mom." I am impressed with her quick
reaction and instantly recognize her as the "bear security" for
the rest of the trip. She laughs and quickly falls back to sleep.
|
| Wildlife on June 8th,
2002 |
| Humpback
Whales |
2
|
| Sea
Otters |
5
|
| Bald
Eagles |
3+3
|
| Harbor
Porpoise |
2
|
| Salmon
(leaping) |
many
|
|
 |
|
The "calm
side" view from the camp for two days as we wait for the 35 knot winds
to subside.
|
 |
|
The
"Serenity Shelter" nestled in the alders several feet above the
high tide line.
|
June 9th, 2002
 |
|
Goose Tongue
growing on black slate in the intertidal zone.
|
There was another kayak camp a short way down the
beach and we watch as they pack up and leave in the rain and wind. It rains
all day and night (as well as all last night). We go for a hike down the
beach looking at rocks, driftwood and the many sea plants. Mom suggests
"Goose Tongue" would be good with eggs and hash browns. We find
many signs of black bear in the area, but nothing very fresh looking. The
wind is fierce all day long. A NOLS group of 14 shows up around 2:00 pm.
Mom approaches them and tells them it would be "ok" if they want
to share the area with us. They check the exposed route to the east and
quickly return to accept the invitation. During lunch a marten scurries
near the tent. I make a quick signal to my mom and the marten pauses on his
rear legs. We lock eyes at about 6 feet distance through the screen mesh
and he quickly bounds into the wet forest. The wind blows all night long
and bald eagles make "eagle talk" through the night. |
| Wildlife on June 9th,
2002 |
| Bald
Eagles |
3
|
| Marten (close
up) |
1
|
| Merganser
Ducks (male & female) |
2
|
|
 |
|
Massive Sitka
Spruce standing on its toes.
|
 |
|
Small, flat stones are arranged on end by the surf.
|
June 10th,
2002
 |
|
Skunk Cabbage
blooming in boggy tundra.
|
We awake late and enjoy tasty cream cheese stuffed french toast
for breakfast. As I enjoy my second cup of coffee the rain stops! We
quickly break camp and pack the kayaks with all of the gear. It has been 3
years since I have paddled a sea kayak and I begin to feel new muscles
growing immediately. Contrary to the popular misconception, sea kayaking
does not require tremendous arm strength. You would quickly tire if you
were to use just your arms to propel the boat. The adbomen, lower back and
latissimus dorsi are much larger muscle groups and proper technique employs
them all. We stop at a small beach about 1.5 miles up Culross Passage for
lunch. We spot whale spouts about 3 miles north of us and quickly paddle
out to greet 4 Killer Whales steaming south towards us. They surface on
both sides of us and pass within 100 feet of the kayaks. But they do not
pause for us, and quickly cover five miles and are gone from sight. They
are tremoundous animals to see in the wild and I am excited that we saw
them on the first day of paddling.
Farther up the passage, we see a harbor seal
enjoying a freshwater shower under a waterfall. He is weary of us and
submerges out of sight without a ripple. A sea otter is floating around a
kelp bed and I paddle out towards him to check it out. He submerges and
surfaces a few minutes later about 6 feet from my kayak. He seems very
surprised at my location, and makes a large splash with his tail when he
darts back to the depths below. We pass through the narrows of Culross
Pasage and make camp at the head of Long Bay. The tents are setup and we
enjoy another great evening in the rain under the "Serenity
Shelter". A large cruise ship passes through the narrows as we finish
supper. We are half-expecting to hear a loud "screeech" as the
hull grounds in the narrows, but they pass through without incident. Rain
fallls as we go to sleep at 11:30 pm. I am hoping the weather will improve
since I am almost done with my one reading book for the trip.
|
| Wildlife on June 10th,
2002 |
| Sea Otter
(close up) |
1
|
| Orcas / Killer
Whales (close up) |
4
|
| Bald
Eagles |
6+
|
| Mice (wearing
brown furry parkas) |
2
|
| Merganser
Ducks (male & 2 female) |
3
|
| Harbor
Seal |
1
|
| Salmon
(leaping) |
many
|
| Murrelets |
4
|
| Yellow Legs
(greater) |
1
|
| Black Legged
Kittiwakes |
many
|
| Loon (heard
call) |
1
|
|
 |
|
Waterfalls are
numerous along the way.
|
|
 |
|
Sitka Spruce
and Hemlock sprout from the rocks.
|
|
 |
|
Brackish lagoon on one side and ocean on the other during high
tide at Long Bay.
|
Email your comments or questions
about this story to bob@thedigitalbob.com
Find
out more about The Serenity Shelter
home I stories I photos I contact us
|
|
