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Greetings from Gustavus, AK, everyone! All we can do from here is a very quick entry due to computer availability and internet connection speed... so, apologies for the absolute dearth of pictures and details. We'll get those along to you as soon as we possibly can, because we have some good images and some even better stories!
We left Juneau June 18th and headed west across Lynn Canal in the general direction of Icy Strait. The very next day, our friends Mike and Kristen, with whom we stayed in Juneau had a beautiful, healthy baby. Looks like we got out just in time! Congratulations guys!
We enjoyed more beautiful weather and favorable seas as we passed through the remainder of Lynn Canal and headed through the Couverden Island group at the south tip of the Chilkat Range Peninsula. Here we met Andy and Lisa, a couple who have devoted their lives to cruising all over the world in their sailboat, "Indefatigable". We enjoyed tea and fresh apples, as well as story swapping and chart comparisons with them for an evening on their boat.
The next day we rounded the peninsula and crossed to Porpoise Is., our favorite camping island yet for its steep gravel beach, protected landing, friendly birds, and lack of large furry critters.... after an attempt at another campsite that was very "beary"... or so we deduced from the patches of non-bear fur and tracks. This was our last site before Gustavus. When we reached town we were taken in by Mary Hervin, one of Gustavus' famous "old timers". She gave us warm beds in her "dormitory", hot showers, tea, and breakfast the next day, as well as a ride over to Bartlett Cove, the entrance to Glacier Bay National Park. Mary is also an adventurer of our sort- in 1941, at 20 years old, she boated from Juneau to Skagway and then floated the Yukon River with her girlfriend, on their way to seek jobs in Anchorage.
We spent two days preparing our provisions in Bartlett Cove, and then headed north through the Beardslee Islands, where the highlight of our time was being awakened by the masticulation and gastrointestinal noises of a very large moose. Very close to Steph's head, just outside the tent. Oh, and the scenery was beautiful too.
Heading "up bay" as the natives say, we visited Leland Island where we were serenaded by the raucous sea lions of South Marble Island three miles away and the singing of a mother humpback whale and her baby, feeding not even 20 feet from shore. Our next stop was Garforth Island, another of our favorites. We spent two days here, sidelined by one of Steph's infamous migraines. At least we had a good campsite to wait it out in. At this point, the weather turned from cold and rainy to HOT and sunny, and stayed that way for the rest of our time in the Bay. Quite an anomaly for the area!
We continued north on a 21 mile day to the entrance to the inlet housing McBride Glacier, the only tidewater glacier in the East Arm of the Bay. We stayed at this site for two days as well, and did an empty boat paddle to the glacier to enjoy the opportunity to paddle amongst the "bergy bits" and other large icebergs. It was like floating in a giant bowl of rice krispies... the chunks of ice incessantly snapped, crackled, and popped all around us as they melted and drifted on the tide. We then pressed onward to the Riggs Glacier, but not before spending a wonderful night in the company of five Irishmen: Mic, Liam, Tom, Donal, and Cathy, also paddling "up bay". At Riggs, we set up camp on the alluvial fan at the base of the enormous glacier. Words can't describe the sublime scene we were treated to for the next two days. Wait until you see the pictures! Lets just say that we sunburned the roofs of our mouths because we spent so much time gaping open-mouthed at the surrounding panorama.
The next day found us on another empty boat day paddle with the Irish paddlers up the Muir Inlet to see the Muir Glacier. Also included was a dip in a glacial waterfall in our skivvies... everyone got all the way in- talk about refreshing! It was amazing to see, as we paddled toward the Muir Glacier, the actual process of forest succession from climax forest to bare rock. The land is so very new, much of it uncovered by ice in our lifetimes.
After a day of kicking back and repairing and maintaining gear at Riggs, we proceeded south down the East Arm, took a side trip into Wachusett Inlet, and made our July 4th camp on Rowlee Point. We were quite literally on the point- our tent was pitched on a high rocky promontory. We could literally take two steps from our tent and look down the cliff into the water. This made 3 am pee trips quite a lot easier, to have the intertidal zone consistently at our disposal.
Next, we headed back to Garforth Island. It was only 12 miles to paddle in the morning, so we were in camp, fully established by noon. We enjoyed, according to our thermometer in the tent, 100 degree sunshine, cooled by a 15 kt. southerly breeze. We bathed, air dried, and got sunburned on skin that hasn't seen the sun ALL summer owing to our raingear. What a good way to end our stay in the Bay.
Our last morning we were up at 5 am to paddle to Sebree Island to catch the Baranoff Wind, a tour boat that took us into the West Arm to see the glaciers and wildlife. It was a culture shock when the boat pulled up to the beach complete with at least 100 tourists on the top deck with their cameras poised and aimed directly at us. We were like deer in headlights! Its a good thing that photographs aren't scratch and sniff- ours would have smelled terrible! We must have seemed like strange characters to them, and we were almost instantly inundated with a barage of questions the moment we set foot on board. We enjoyed bagels, hot beverages, chicken fingers, chili, chowder, and best of all, fresh, hot, chocolate chip cookies... all complimentary... as we cruised and admired the glaciers calving before our eyes.
We cut our trip in the Bay short by a few days to take advantage of favorable conditions to begin our journey south. We justify this by promising ourselves that we will come back someday and take the time to properly see the parts of the park that we missed... by kayak, and check up on the glaciers' progress or recession. We both have "south-itis", thus it is time for us to wrap things up here in Gustavus. We plan to depart on Sunday on the tide, for the difficult paddle around Pt. Gustavus and across Icy Strait to Pt. Adolphus.
We want to thank Jim and Denise Healey who are graciously putting us up this evening after a fantastic dinner! Also, a big thank you to the Park Service Rangers for their hospitality, patience, rides to town and their fantastic breakfast (thanks Jonathan and Linda!) We send our love and best wishes to everyone at home... thanks for the messages, all, keep 'em coming, they make us smile! P and Shane, have fun in Scotland and thanks for your message. Molly and Andrew... we hope your first week of marital bliss has been everything you'd dreamed it would be and then some! Jay and Emily, hope the honeymoon was great, see you in Seattle!
Thanks again to all our sponsors- and everyone who reads Sea Kayaker, check out our blurb in the August issue under "Paddling for a Cause". Until next time folks... hopefully we can get more pictures to you soon! Last but not least, love to our families- without your love and support, we couldn't do this!
Truly last... and least... thanks to the Alaska bears for not bothering us... still no problems!
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Molly
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Mrs. French
Just wanted to thank you for the wonderful words at the wedding! We were thinking of you, glad to hear there are no bears :) ... we had a great time in Quebec and are LOVING the new apartment! Can't wait to have you over for dinner! Miss you and love you tons! Always in our thoughts and prayers! Letter on the way ...