My phone got a little wet while I was out there like everything else I had with me and the display is not working. I can make and receive calls but that’s it. I can hear text messages coming in but can not see them so the best way to contact me is by email. I heading out to Cordova this afternoon where my phone does not really work so email is by far the best way to get ahold of me.
I finally had some bigger water exposure on this leg and some rougher weather that allowed me to get some long-exposure night shots due to the big waves rolling in at dusk.
Being in a sea kayak around whales is both exhilarating and frightening. I was able to paddle with a lot of whales on this leg of the trip and I learned how hard it is to get good whale images from a kayak. I think approaching wildlife in a sea kayak is an advantage for most all marine wildlife except whales because of there size and elusiveness. I would be watching and taking photos of a whale and it would dive underwater and I would have no idea when or where it would surface. I had some close calls and a lot of out of focus photos due to this but I ended up with some decent images. I like the photo above because of the light and the way the Gulls are catching it. I have hundreds of photos of whales rolling like this and I’m always looking for breaching whales or tails in the air but I have to say I like this shot.
I arrived back into Whittier last evening and it feels amazing to get out of the rain and into a hotel room. I had an amazing time and the weather started out great but when it started to turn bad and rain a few weeks ago it has not stopped. Everything I have is completely soaked. I had to sleep with my waders on at the end because my sleeping bag was so wet. On this leg I got to paddle with a lot of whales which was scary but unbelievably cool. I also met a lot of great people out there towards the end and can’t thank my friends from Wisconsin enough for the two great dinners and good company. I will be posting photos and more info over the next few days.
I finally solved my problem of how to get picked up at the end of my trip yesterday when I discovered there was a ferry leaving for Chenega bay today from Whittier. I’m heading out on the ferry this afternoon and will paddle this last leg in reverse back to Whittier. This helps me out greatly because now I’m not on any time limit to meet a boat and I can just go with the flow so to speak. I have done this paddle before in 13 days but this time I plan on really exploring the area and stretching it out as long as I can. I have always wanted to go to Knight Island ever since I saw it for the first time so I’m going to spend a few weeks paddling around it this time. It’s also the best area for Whales in the sound so I can really wait for good light and try to get some good shots. I have almost run out of two items that I feel are necessary for my survival while paddling in the last two legs, coffee and books. This time I have ten new books and 2.5 lbs of coffee with me. I rented a car and went up to Anchorage yesterday and now I’m fully stocked to go out for a month or so. Since I’m not on any set schedule I’m not really sure when I will be back but I think I will be in Whittier again in the beginning of August. Have a great month everyone!!
I have created a new galleryon my homepage and have been uploading photos from the trip to them. The Internet is unbearably slow here so it’s taking a long time to get them on there but it’s a start. Happy 4th everyone!!
Meares glacier is an advancing glacier that is constantly calving huge ice bergs into the sound. I got to camp fairly close to the glacier and listing to the thundering calving all night long.
The Chum Salmon run was in full swing on Esther island this past week. Chum’s are not that great to eat but they are really fun to catch on a fly rod and it’s a all you can eat buffet for the wildlife.
I found this Sea Lion haul out on the south side of Glacier island and got to paddle around with hundreds of them. They would swim under my kayak, inches away checking me out. They let out thundering roars when there up on the rocks and it was an amazing experience hanging out with them.
Powered by WordPress
