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Northern Lights Log (2008-06-18 -> 2008-07-07)
Leaders: Katie Tennille, John Henderson and Cliff White
Students: Caroline Andress, Trey Burdick, Matt Burke, Alex Caffentzis, Joanie Davis, duncan Fraser, Nic Hogan, Cuyler Lewis, Renee Rao, Hannah Thiemann, Elizabeth Weir, Conway Wilcox
Just had a phone call from Katie that they had a great time sea kayaker in Prince William Sound. We should have an update soon so stay tuned!
Trip Update 6-26-08
Hello all!
Just back from five epic days of sea kayaking in one of the most beautiful places in the world – Prince William Sound, Alaska. We made it through the famous 2.5-mile, one-lane tunnel to the remote seaside town of Whittier, population 150, and made camp beside a white-water stream of glacial melt which serves as the town’s water source. The next morning, Cuyler and Cliff were up extra-early for a 4-mile run around Whittier, and then the group headed off to the Alaska Sea Kayaking headquarters in “downtown” Whittier, where we were fitted with oilskins and rubber boots – our first line of defense against the chilly waters of the northern Pacific Ocean. We loaded our gear and provisions into dry-sacks and learned how to correctly pack our boats, absorbed a paddling and safety lesson, and then pushed off the beach and began the salt-water portion of our Alaskan adventure! With each paddle stroke, we left civilization further behind us and headed deeper into the pristine magnificence of Prince William Sound.
Nic and Elizabeth led the way past Billings Glacier and into our first night’s campsite at Entry Cove as sea otters and harbor seals played in the glassy waters around us. We met for our nightly moon-up comforted by the gentle rays of the ever-present sun glinting off the snow of the mountains surrounding our campsite and by the sound of the lapping of the ebb-tide against the rocky shoreline.
Rising early again, leaders-of-the-day Matt and Renee led us out of camp and back into the sound. Caroline spotted a Dahl porpoise spouting only 15 feet behind our pod of kayaks as we made our way to Hobo Bay. The earl day brought us into even more surreal beauty, as the snow-laden mountains rose higher on either side and we paddled by the first icebergs coming from the tide-water glaciers further along our route. Our guide Bjorn pointed out massive Tebenkof Glacier and explained how the area represents the last vestiges of the previous Ice Age.
The long-awaited “prize-of-the-paddle” finally arrived as Caroline and Trey led us around Point Doran and into the Barry Arm, where five enormous glaciers simultaneously rolled into view. Arriving at our campsite mere miles away from the glaciers, Alex and Conway led us in a no-rain dance, begging the weather gods for a clear day of glacier viewing
After sleeping in at 30-mile camp, the whole group enjoyed a breakfast of biscuits and gravy with the hoped-for sunny skies shining daylight down upon us. The LOD’s, Nic and Joanie, led us on a day-paddle to get our highly anticipated close-up of the glaciers. However, to view these natural beauties we had to navigate through a gigantic icefield – the result of the perpetual combat of tide and ice. Paddling carefully around icebergs as big as Volvos, we parked our boats at Black Sand Beach and sat and observed the day’s battle, sighing in wonder as the icy casualties of the day broke off with thunderous cracks and slid with a magnificent dying grace into the turquoise waters below. As bald eagles soared overhead, we navigated back through the icefield to camp to enjoy everyone’s favorite dinner, ramen surprise.
After an early morning wake-up, we paddled back to Hobo Bay to meet our boat shuttle, a landing craft-type vehicle that swallowed up us and our boats and brought us back to Whittier to board a train to Anchorage, where we refueled before heading up to Chickaloon for a rest day before we begin our extended backpacking section. After 50 miles of paddling, everyone is a “titch” tired, but it’s been a “mysterical” (ask your kids when they get back for the joke) journey so far. Us leaders – John, Tennille and Cliff are proud of our twelve troopers and are positive that a rest-day will give them all the motivation they need to recharge for the backpacking and white-water rafting adventure that lies ahead.
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