The big day is here! Looking out the window we were disappointed to see the heavy fog closed in over the harbor,hiding the beautiful scenery we know is there. Heck, it was so thick it hid the back of the RV! After packing everything from rain gear to blizzard-wear, plus lunches and snacks,(I ALWAYS pack too much, but am always prepared for anything) we headed down the street to meet our tour company. Dennis and Vickie soon joined us.
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Norm suited up and ready to go!
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We waited around until they opened the doors and we were given our gear. I chose to wear the provided heavy-duty rain gear for fear my own might be leaking. They also provided neoprene lightly soled socks that fit over our own, and little “cozies” for your hands, which kept them incredibly warm. We were fitted for the skirts that keep the cold water out of the kayaks, then given a brief lesson on safety and technique.
After the 8 guests and two staff headed across the street, we boarded our boat and headed through the thick fog out of the harbor around 9 AM.
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Water Taxi's heading out of the Valdez Harbor
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As we motored along Prince William Sound the fog lifted- providing us a view of all the fishing boats anchored along shore waiting to get the news when fishing could start that day. Each day it is determined what can be fished, I believe, by the Fish and Wildlife Service. After they gather information regarding fish quantities and other info, they make the announcement, and the boats, already in place, start fishing! Fisherman don’t want to waste a single minute of available time to make their living due to the short season.
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A fellow Alaskan kayaker reminded
us of this actor, Sam Elliott
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Sandwiched together in the boat house, we began to get acquainted with the other 2 couples joining us. One couple had all the signs of newly-dating. The rugged looking man (the men here are amazingly attractive, by the way) reminded Norm and I of the actor Sam Elliott, with his huge handle-bar mustache and deep voice. Paul was once a production manager in Indiana, but now resides 70 miles from the tiny town of Tok, living totally “off-grid”. No electricity or indoor plumbing, TV or internet. He proudly lives off the land with no hand-outs what-so-ever from Uncle Sam. He grows his own vegetables, fishes and hunts to sustain himself through the winters, enduring temperatures plummeting 70 below zero. This industrious man pans for gold, successfully selling to tourists and also cuts and splits enough wood to provide for his needs as well as those of his elderly neighbors.
I find that way of life utterly fascinating, and it has a lot of appeal. Without a TV, he must be spared the political nightmare we are going through on a daily basis. What’s not to like about that? Perhaps indoor plumbing is over rated? I have to laugh at myself saying that as I sit in my 41 foot motorhome having a fresh cup of brewed coffee, enjoying the air conditioning while my washer/dryer is humming away! ( yeah, I obviously like the “easy life” as well! )
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Getting of the water taxi, we had a little while to "take care of business". What? Not even a tree? Really? These small chunks of ice were our first encounter with Colombia Glacier, which is very rapidly retreating.
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When we got to a rocky shore littered with clumps of ice, we got off the boat and were informed that if we might have go to the bathroom in the next 8 hours, we better go now. Ok, where's the Rest Room? Well, looking around at this flat peninsula with only a couple of blocks of ice to hide behind, I stumbled along the rocky shore ( with only neoprene socks on my feet so I was feeling the rocks) to hopefully get some distance from the others. I figured the further I was, the smaller my behind would appear. When I felt I was far enough to at least afford a little privacy, I struggled out of my multiple layers of pants, encumbered further by my bulky life jacket, and kayak skirt! Too much information? Yeah, probably- just trying to paint a picture here of what it's like in the wild's of Alaska!
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Groups of sea otters checked us out as we motored by
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Anyway, I made my way back, and after taking a few pictures, joined Norm in the tandem (2 person) kayak and headed out to explore.
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Paddling among these huge icebergs was so awesome!
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We had to be careful and not too close because these icebergs can flip unexpectedly, and capsize our kayaks! ( We actually saw one do that )
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Wow! So beautiful!
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It was so much fun paddling among the huge icebergs! I had learned how to make my camera take a picture by voice commands, which was very handy with our thick gloves on. “shoot” ”smile” and other words snap the picture. (Needless to say I also have dozens of photos of my pocket since it often hears me say words that sound like that) I think Norm must have done the majority of the paddling, because I was taking so many pictures!
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Check out the neat mitts on Norm's hands! Your fingers just slip in there and stay so warm!
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I was trying a little photographic creativity during a lunch stop. Columbia Glacier, the largest tidewater glacier in Prince William Sound, is the second largest in Alaska. It is retreating a whooping 4 feet per day during summer!
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I had so many layers on, I felt like "Jabba the Hutt"
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Meet my friend Jabba
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After an hour of paddling around, we stopped for lunch on another rocky shore, where we all hung out for more than an hour, enjoying the hot chocolate the guide made for us.
We had hoped to get a lot closer to the Columbia Glacier, and perhaps see it calve, but the guide said it would be too dangerous. Perhaps it really was because there was only one tour guide for the six paddlers, and I must say as a group, we were not obeying her instructions. Some were straying too far away, others getting much too close to the very unpredictable and dangerous icebergs. She should have had a bull horn, because we just could not hear her. I think it scared her a little, so we spent much more time on shore than we wanted to.
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After the excitement of the open waters and the icebergs, we paddled in the quiet warm cove waters looking for bald eagles. We did see golden eagles.
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We all took turns paddling near this waterfall.
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We then paddled into a cove and some remote streams, which Norm and I found a little boring, but certainly beautiful and then finally paddled back to the boat. Getting on board from the kayaks was a bit of a challenge, but no one fell in, nor hurt themselves.
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These vessels were netting lots of silver salmon. They would then meet up with another boat and off-load their catch so they could keep fishing as long as they are allowed.
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On the ride back we stopped and watched fishing boats unload their full nets of silver salmon into their own hulls. What was really fascinating was how they then would meet up with another, larger boat that would suck the fish out of the fishing boat’s hull and transport it back to shore when full! Norm later learned that these other boats were designed to fish for species not currently in season, so they make money by helping other fisherman utilize every minute available for hauling in their valuable catch!
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This is approximately where we went on the boating/kayak trip, minus Glacier Island. Looking at this map, we probably had our lunch in Heather Bay.
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When we got back to shore, we returned out gear and Dennis, Vickie, Norm and I went to a local bar for much needed drinks and appetizers. Paul and Christine joined us and gave us more opportunity to learn his about his simple (but certainly not physically simple ) Alaskan lifestyle. He was pretty insistent that we come for a visit, but unfortunately it is nearing our time to get home, and non-refundable reservations have been made for the rest of the trip. It was a great way to end a great day!
