Alaska - Etolin Island Paddle

Our original plan was to paddle from Wrangell AK to Kake AK.  The plan was worked out over months of planning. We had to consider ferry schedule to/from Bellingham WA to Wrangell AK and from Kake, AK back to Wrangell for our ride home. We planned to stay at US Forestry service cabins when we could. So after all the planning was done, and group members had their ferry reservations made ( including kayaks), lodging in Wrangell, Kake and back again in Wrangell booked, cabin reservations made,  the Alaskan Ferry system informed us that the Kake to Wrangell ferry schedule had been moved up a day which impacted our plans so we changed our plans to accommodate the ferry schedule. Then two days before we were to leave,

the ferry had mechanical issues in Juneau and the planned Friday departure eventually moved to Sunday morning which threw all our plans for cabins, and the Kake leg of our ferry plan into complete disarray. So we scratched the original plan and plan B was hatched which ended up being a wonderful roughly 145 mile paddle.

The group consisted of 6 highly skilled, experienced paddlers and one 'newbie'.

 

 

Here is our original plan:

Friday, July 17 – Carpool and drive to Bellingham, load boats and gear onto ferry, set up sleeping sites on rear deck or optional cabin, and settle in for a 6pm departure.

Saturday, July 18 – In route to Ketchikan.  Great sightseeing and opportunities to see orcas, humpback whales, and/or dolphins.

Sunday, July 19 – Ferry travels through Chatham Sound in BC and into SE Alaska.  Arrive in Ketchikan at 7am.  Leave Ketchikan at 9:00am and arrive in Wrangell at 2:30pm.   Explore the town of Wrangell, buy fuel and food, and stay at "Be Still" Bed & Breakfast one night.

Monday, July 20 – Paddle across the mouth of the Stikine River, north 12 miles and stay in The USFS Little Dry Island cabin for the night.

Tuesday-Wednesday, July 21-22 – Paddle 10 miles around Dry Island and the Stikine Delta to USFS Mallard Sough Cabin.  Explore the area with a possible paddle to the mouth of LeConte Bay, where we will see icebergs and seals.  Fishing opportunities too!

Thursday, July 23 – Enter Frederick Sound, paddle west to Mitkof Island, and find a campsite on the east side of Mitkof Island (8 miles).

Friday-Saturday, July 24-25 – Paddle past the town of Petersburg (lunch stop) then north up Kupreanof Island on to Five mile Creek (12 miles).  Stay two nights.  Opportunities for fishing, whale watching, and hiking on established trails.

Sunday, July 26 – Paddle 8 miles north to Twelve mile Cove.

Monday-Tuesday, July 27-28 – Paddle 10 miles north to Portage Bay and camp for two nights.  Good fishing and whale watching opportunities.

Wednesday, July 29 - Paddle 12 miles west and camp on near Big Creek.

Thursday, July 30 – Paddle 11 miles in the area where Frederick Sound and Stephens Passage intersect and camp near Punta Point.

Friday thru Saturday, July 31- Aug 1 – Paddle 15 miles south into Keku Strait and to Kake, Alaska and stay for one night.

Saturday, Aug 1 – Leave on Ferry (Taku) at 6:45pm.  Travel through Frederick Sound, Petersburg (10:45pm-11:30pm) and Wrangell Narrows. 

Sunday-Wednesday, Aug 2-5 – Arrive in Wrangell at 2:45pm.  Spend three nights in the "Be Still" Bed & Breakfast in Wrangell, Alaska.  Options on Monday and Tuesday for jet boat tours to see Anan Bear Observatory, Chief Shakes Lake & Hot Spring, walking tour of Wrangell, or the Stikine River.  Museums, restaurants, shops, native longhouse, and collections of totem poles to explore in town.

Wednesday-Friday, Aug 5-7 – Leave on Ferry (Columbia) at 6:45 am on August 5th.  Stop in Ketchikan from 12:45pm until 5:00pm.  Arrive in Bellingham at 8am on August 7th.  Great opportunities to see whales and dolphins while touring through British Columbia.  Unload boats and gear, and drive home.

 

 

And the trip we did: Circumnavigate Etolin Island

Sunday, July 19 – Carpool and drive to Bellingham, load boats and gear onto ferry, set up sleeping sites on rear deck or optional cabin, and settle in for a 1:00pm departure on July 19th.

Sunday, July 20 – Ferry north.

Monday, July 21 – In route to Wrangell, arriving at 3:15am.  Launch from beach near ferry.

Tuesday, July 22 – Paddle 17 miles south and camp at the sand spit on Turn Island.

Wednesday, July 22 – Start paddling early (to catch the ebbing tide) and paddle 18 miles through Zimovia Strait and camp in the last cove at the south end of Zimovia Strait on Etolin Island for the night.

Thursday-Friday, July 23-24 - Paddle 8 miles to USFS Frosty Bay Cabin and stay for two nights.  Great hiking and fishing opportunities!  Also, those who can get permits in advance ($10 each) could paddle 11 miles to Anan Wildlife Observatory to see the bears, fish, seals, eagles, etc.

Saturday, July 25 - Paddle 15 miles around the north end of Deer Island and south down Etolin Island, through Canoe Passage, and camp on the north side of Stone Islands.

Sunday, July 26 – Paddle 9 miles north to Kelp Point and camp on the low island just off of the north end of the point.

Monday, July 27– Paddle 12 miles north and find a campsite in or on Stanhope Island and Three Way Passage.

Tuesday-Wednesday, July 28-29 – Paddle 12 miles north and stay two nights in USFS Steamer Bay Cabin.

Thursday, July 30 – Paddle 14 miles north and camp at the last bay before Chichagof Pass.

Friday, July 31 – Paddle 17 miles northeast through Chichagof Pass to Wrangell.

 July 31-Aug 5 – Spend five nights in the "Be Still" Bed & Breakfast in Wrangell, Alaska. Take optional excursions Sunday-Wednesday, Aug 2-5 – Arrive in Wrangell at 2:45pm.  Spend three nights in the "Be Still" Bed & Breakfast in Wrangell, Alaska.  Options on Monday and Tuesday for jet boat tours to see Anan Bear Observatory, Chief Shakes Lake & Hot Spring, walking tour of Wrangell, or the Stikine River.  Museums, restaurants, shops, native longhouse, and collections of totem poles to explore in town.

Wednesday-Friday, Aug 5-7 – Leave on Ferry (Columbia) at 6:45 am on August 5th.  Stop in Ketchikan from 12:45pm until 5:00pm.  Arrive in Bellingham at 8am on August 7th.  Great opportunities to see whales and dolphins while touring through British Columbia.  Unload boats and gear, and drive home.

This is a remote destination paddle with a major portion of it in Tongass National Forrest which is a wilderness area. We did see lots of salmon fishing boats and loads of jumping salmon. While in Wrangell I saw both the Time Bandit and the Wizard of the TV show Deadliest Catch in port.  Lots of eagles, bears especially on the 'salmon' rivers and streams as this was a salmon run year it was easy to avoid those water sources. And I must say water sources was NOT an issue! We were told Wrangell had record rainfall while we were out on our trip. I can attest to hard rain day and night for the last portion of our paddle, but that made for some pretty spectacular waterfalls along the way. We had almost no wind during this trip so we pretty much travelled wherever we wanted, where outside coast line or wandering through the hundreds of islands.  Amazing jelly fish display in the channel between Etolin and Brownson Island, never seen so many and so many different species of jellyfish in one place.

If you have the time and money ( most excursions are not cheap), take a ride up to the Anan Bear Observatory ( met a couple that went three consecutive days in a row at $290 per person per trip) here you will see large number of grizzly and black bears trying to catch some of the 5,000 salmon that are heading to their spawning grounds that pass this point daily. The LeConte glacier and the icebergs it sheds are an amazing site to see. Wrangell has a real wonderful museum and is well worth the time to go thru, also several totems in parks around town. The Skikine Inn is the 'fancy' hotel in town and has both a good restraunt that servers 'Alaska sized portions' and coffee stand.   

So despite the rain and being wet a good deal, and those blood sucks no-seeum's which were abundant, Alaska is a magical place to paddle this was a wonderful trip and which I'd do  again.

La Push WA Paddle July 2014

July 2014 La Push WA

Paddled with a group of WKC ( Washington Kayak Club) friends launching at the Quillayute River marina. Paddled to Mosquito Cove some 11 miles to the south which was our intended campsite. Fog... lots of fog and winds in the 15-25k range for this trip with loads of sunshine. Numerous sea caves and arches to explore, rock gardens with a wide variety of sea life, birds, sea lions and seals.

We stayed at Mosquito Creek for four nights, great place to camp with a good water supply and miles of sandy beaches to hike. One day we attempted to hike down to Hon (rain forest) river but three of us turned back after a hour and half of slogging thru mud pits, climbing latter's and ropes, walking over skinny log bridges ect...guess I'm not cut out to be a wilderness hiker! Moved our camp to a site north of Toleak Point for our final night. On the last day we here on the water by 7:30 am and paddled most of the way back to La Push in fog.

Did day paddles down to Hon river, around Alexander Island, up to and down Goodman Creek ( nice river otter population there). The number of brown pelicans was huge, hundreds of their spend time around Mosquito Creek... also saw a large number of puffins, they are just too cool.

Since it was windy, bugs where no problem, tents with lots of sand in em a problem.

 

 

Balaclava Island ( BC ) Paddle July 2014

July 12- 20, 2014

God's Pocket area, are a group of islands northeast of the very top of Vancouver Island. We camped at Nolan Point on Balaklava Island.

Paddled out of Port Hardy around 7:30 am and followed the coast line up to a point across from Duncan Island where we crossed over in a light fog.  Once across we padded past Blyth Island and the Nobel Islets ( one has a light on it ) on our way to Nolan Point on Balaklava. Arrived around noon on this 11 mile paddle. We camped there with a few other folks but all in all it was sunny, peaceful and quite.

Paddled each day, first around Bakaklava, up to Clam Cove ( water source), toured the Light House and chatted with the lighthouse keeps ( east side of the island), visited God's Pocket resort on Hurst Island, paddled around Hurst Island many paddles along Browning Wall on Nigei Island, and Port Alexander. The sea life ( jellyfish, sea stars) along Browning Wall were incredible. You can find culturally modified trees close to the Nolan Point campsite.

We had the opportunity to watch some of BC's finest put out a 'root' fire about a half mile from our campsite. They said the fire probably was burning in the root system for about ten days before the smoke appeared. A good reminder to have your campfires close to the beach and not in the forest.     

We saw Orca's, sea otters, wolves, ton's of sea birds, eagles, ravens some breaching whales from  a 1/4 miles away ( in big swell and 20k winds ). No raccoons or mice visited, deer flies visited occasionally, some mosquitoes but all in all bugs where not a big pain.    

Gentle Giant

Took at ride today over to Seahurst Park in Burien, WA where a 65ft Fin whale which was estimated (when alive) to weigh between 100,000 to 120, 000 pounds, washed up on shore.  This gentle giant of the deep had been struck by a ship and died six days before it arrived in the Puget Sound.

Skagit River Eagle Paddle

 

Today was a beautiful day to be up in the Cascade Mountains in Washington State. I joined a group of BEWET ( Boeing rafters and kayakers) folks on a 10 mile trip down the Skagit River. This time of year thousands of Chum salmon end their life journey and the eagles, hawks, ravens and the ever present crows dine on salmon.  The paddle took two and a half hours to float down and admire the eagles as they perch along the river. 19 degrees under crystal clear blue skies, a great day to be alive!

2013 New Year's Challenge

Again this year I joined a diverse group of paddlers to race in the 4th annual New Year's Challenge, a human powered water craft race showcasing a wide variety of rowing and paddling enthusiasts of all skill levels willing to brave the cold and compete in this traditional event of the new year. 112 paddlers powering racing shells, outrigger canoes, stand up boards, prone boards, surf skies, kayaks and large dragon boats participated. The race starts at Gasworks Park on Seattle's Lake Union passes thru Montlake Cut past the University of Washington  and ends at Magnuson Park on Lake Washington a distance of 6 1/2 miles. I finished 60th overall, third in the SK-M class and improved my finish time by almost 3 minutes this year,  yeah!

60

-

Bill Porter

SK-M

1:18:43.0

+30:35.6+63.6%

Harstene Island Circumnavigation Dec 2012

Harstene Island Circumnavigation Dec 2012

A group of four hardy paddlers participated in sixth annual late December paddle. This year we left on December 27th from Joemma Beach State Park (N47 13.620 W122 48.582) which is located on the Key Peninsula in south Puget Sound.  A nice 10 kt breeze under sunny skies accompanied us as we crossed over to Harestene Island and then thru Dana Passage on our way to Hope Island SP.

Hope Island State Park (N47 11.017 W122 55.940) was approximately a 12 nm journey from Joemma. We arrived around 1:30pm and pitched our tents under sunny skies. Plenty of time to check out the historic old farm house located on the island and for a hike along the well marked hiking trails that criss-cross the island.  We had the island to ourselves except for the beligerent gang of raccoons who were playing some kind of war games that required screaming at one another. Sure gets dark early this time of the year ! With a full moon and a coyote or two howling in the distance it hard to believe this quiet little island is surrounded by a heavily populated metropolitan area.   

Gets light around 7 am, so we take our time with breakfast and packing the  boats, no need to start early. As dawn breaks the south side of Mt Rainier is bathed in sunlight and ice and snow turned a deep red as the sun rose. Marine weatherman is again predicting calm conditions with a possible shower and sun breaks. Packed and ready to go, we launched at 10:30ish to continue our journey along the eastern side of Squaxin Island and Harstene Island on our way to Jerrell Cover SP where we will camp for the second night.  Lots of wintering birds, a few seals, eagles and the ever present gulls accompany us on our paddle. A quick stretch / bio break stop at the little park by the Latimer Landing bridge and we complete the 10.3 km paddle to Jarrell Cove around 1 pm.

Jarrell Cove State Park (N47 17.063 W 122 53.105) as did Hope Island SP have Washington Water Trails sites located on them. Since this park is completely empty we opt for a campsite right next to a nice shelter covering three pick nick tables which comes in handy when the rains returned. Jarrell Cove has a nice new bathroom facilities complete with showers ( bring your quarters to feed the showers) and water is available from several spigots located around the camp grounds. Jarrell Cove is located across a small cove from a small marina which seems to be closed this time of year. Only visitor here where a few folks walking their dogs and several deer AND a visitor who arrived after dark in the rain bearing firewood and fermented beverages. THANK YOU Mike G...you might have gotten in trouble at home but four cold, wet kayakers standing out in the drizzle huddled around a campfire were singing your praises.

Up and on our way at 8:30 am the sunlight is reflecting off the snow covered peaks of the Olympic mountains this fine morning, again a beautiful sunny morning. The night time temperatures have not dropped below freezing the entire trip, and during the we have had temps in the mid to upper forties, very pleasant for late December.   Our plan for today is to stop at McMicken Island SP for a quick stretch before crossing Case Inlet on our way back to our journeys starting point, Joemma Beach SP. The 12.2 nm trip successful competes with a 'we cheated death' group hug. If you make it over to Joemma be sure to stop for breakfast or lunch at LuLu's, a dose of local culture is good for the belly and soul.