Kayak adventure in Alaska: Wildlife and glaciers

“Orca!” McDonald yelled. Three whales were breaching and diving about 60 yards from our boats. Then McDonald yelled, “They’re coming right at us!” He was clearly excited by the prospect, as was my boat mate Donna Lawlor, and our fellow paddlers Kym Littleton and Karen To, who sat transfixed watching the huge backs and fins go in and out of the water straight toward us. I started getting nervous, feeling like a very small pea before a very great giant. Then just as quickly as they’d surfaced, the orcas veered off and headed north toward the glacier.

On that first day and every day after, we saw seals, otters, sea lions and countless eagles. We saw cliffs where hundreds of purple and yellow starfish hung off the seaweed and rocks at low tide. There were waterfalls that looked 20 stories high, and glacial moraines that stretched for miles. Some days the water looked milky green and almost emerald-like; other days it was an icy gray. This far north in the summer, the sunset took place around 11 p.m., but it never got dark.

After paddling 16 miles the second day, we spent two days in Sawmill Bay, cruising its flat waters and exploring Stellar Creek where bear feed on spawning salmon. We didn’t see any bears, but signs of them were everywhere: paw prints and crude paths through long green marsh grass crushed by their weight, and large areas completely flattened where they’d taken fish to eat. At night, we packed our food and belongings into bear-proof containers, so that they wouldn’t be lured to our campsites by the smell.

The fourth day we headed to Shoup Bay, through the rough seas of the Valdez Arm and Narrows, crossing into a large calm body of water, and then up a narrow inlet only accessible at high tide. Once there, we were greeted by the cacophony of 20,000 nesting black-legged gulls called kittiwakes. Beyond that was the huge blue face of Shoup Glacier, which stretches miles to the interior. It was incredible, and we camped a half-mile from its face, listening to the glacier groan and creak all night.

Unless you’re an experienced kayaker and know how to read maps and tide charts, a guide on a trip like this is a must. McDonald not only cooked us spectacular meals and set up a shared screen mess tent nightly; he also guided us expertly around the sound. He knew which bays were best for camping, what time we had to enter and leave based on the tides, and when we would experience choppy water in the ocean, based on the prevailing winds. Another outfitter based in Valdez, Pangaea Adventures, offers similar trips.

The type of trip we took caters to the novice, but experience camping out is helpful. Anadyr supplies the food and basic equipment, but you pack and transport it and set up and break down your campsite. Along with route planning, the guides cook and clean up after every meal. McDonald cooked a variety of fresh food — shrimp, broccoli and mushrooms with rigatoni, or salmon with asparagus and couscous. There was even French press coffee for breakfast. Not your typical freeze-dried backpacker swill, for sure.

After five days we paddled into the port of Valdez, surrounded by fishing boats and mountains. We were tired, but completely dazzled by the spectacle of all we had seen. It was our first trip to Alaska, but we feel certain we’ll be back.
___

If You Go.

ALASKA KAYAK TRIPS:

_Anadyr Adventures, Valdez, Alaska, 907-835-2814 or http://www.anadyradventures.com/. Day trips start at $75, fully supported two-day camping trips start at $425. Located 300 miles east of Anchorage by car or a 40- minute flight.

_Pangaea Adventures: Valdez, Alaska, 907-835-8442 or http://www.alaskasummer.com/. Day trips start at $59, fully supported two-day camping trips start at $440. Located 300 miles east of Anchorage by car or a 40- minute flight.