Alaska: Beardslee Islands and Juneau
After turning the bend we noticed another kayaker stationary in the water. As we approached, we realized they were watching a black bear sow and a cub. We took some photographs on our point and shoot cameras and phones. I had the nice DSLR I was borrowing in a dry bag just in case. I didn't want to risk having it out in the choppy waters. After making it around the most dangerous part of the trek (west side of Young island), we were ready to eat. We found an island during low tide that we lovingly named poop island because of the terrain. Good news was there were no bears to worry about. We saw some more seals, porpoises, and sea otters. Where we stopped was close to secret cove.
Black bear sow and her cub
Lunch break in the Beardslee Islands
Harbor Seal
Once we left the island, we headed for our hopeful campsite for the night. There was a small island connected by land off island #7 in the Beardslees during low tide that a park ranger suggested to us. The rangers and employees at Glacier Bay Sea Kayaks were awesome. When we got close though, we realized the other kayaker had the same idea and already set up camp there. That was the last time we saw other kayakers in the Beardslees. We exchanged hellos as we passed by the tiny island and she suggested we check out an open peninsula further up on the next island, #7. It was around 8:00 pm when we arrived. It took a while to configure the tarps and tent set up and we ended up using a few paddles to help stabilize the rope. We moved all the bear canisters to the beach.
During the night, a couple people had to get up to use the restroom and Andrew's blood sugar got low. Backcountry camping is challenging but for someone with Type 1 diabetes, it is much more complicated. You have to have a good supply of insulin and all the testing equipment. You also have to be very careful of the weather as it can cause the insulin quality to deteriorate. Finally, you have to be much more careful about food you have and eating at certain times. We had skittles as some quick sugar for Andrew but we had to walk to the bear canisters. I do NOT like getting out of the warm sleeping bag in the middle of the night! It took us a minute to find them too.
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When Austyn and I woke in the morning, there was a thick fog everywhere and light rain. We took some photos and walked around. Tim woke up too and we made breakfast in the rain. This was the only time I got cold. I put my fleece on and warmed up. I was never cold while kayaking as you are burning more calories. During the day it would be in the low-to-mid 60's and 50's at night. After breakfast, we packed up camp and decided to travel up past Kidney and Link. There was frequently a little confusion about exactly what island we were passing as not all small islands were on the map. We always had a general idea of where we were. We saw more sea otters and seals. When we were on the west side of Link, there were pretty views of the mountains. The water was absolutely still and we commented on it being completely peaceful. The water resembled glass and often everyone in the group would be silent and just take it all in. We passed a large group of sea otters to the left and saw more eagles. We rounded multiple islands and headed to what we thought were Spider and Eider. We were all getting hungry and between the waves and not being certain those were the islands, we decided to head towards where we wanted to camp that night.
First night's backcountry tent site
Breakfast and kayaking in the Beardslee Islands
We pulled up to a rocky beach on the east side of island 7. We were all talking and laughing while preparing our food. Just then, Austyn said "Oh! It's a..." and my sympathetic nervous system was already reacting before I heard "moose." It was a female cow and her calf. She came right out of the woods and was probably 30 yards from us. We quickly grabbed the food we made and backed up calmly towards the ocean. She didn't mind us a bit while we kept our distance and took some photos. They both slowly walked along the treeline down the island. It was so neat. We then traveled to the tiny island we were going to stay the night before. There was not any recent bear activity. Andrew found a great flat, soft spot for the tents. Dayton and Andrew did move the kayaks and bear canisters further up a couple of times to make sure they were safe from tides.
The second night's camping spot and the moose with her calf during dinner
We didn’t sleep as well that night as with the rain and wind, it was noisier and some people were making noise to scare off any close bears. We woke up pretty early the next morning as we wanted to be in the kayaks around 8:30 am. The only time we could get through the Bartlett cut was around noon. We gave ourselves a lot of extra time just in case we had any issues. We took some photographs and headed back. We saw more seals and otters along the way. We had some time to “waste” waiting for the tide to raise and Austyn and Dayton saw two bald eagles sitting along the shore. We decided to get the good camera out and take some photographs. The backdrop was perfect. It was challenging trying to be stable in the kayak though for a photograph! We were then able to navigate through the cut but had to be very careful to avoid any tall rocks. We went slowly, in a single-file line. Austyn and Dayton led the way and we didn't have any issues as they were very careful. We saw some large starfish and crabs in the water.
From top left: Eagle near Barlett River, Kaitlin and Tim watching seals feed, sea otter, and scenery on the Beardslee Islands
When we returned to shore, we put our kayaks and supplies away and called Glacier Bay Sea Kayaks to notify them. We thanked Leah for the amazing experience and their expertise. We decided to set up our tents under the permanent tarps this time. We decided to try and keep some of our bags packed and organized as we would be leaving early the next morning. We also knew we wanted to treat ourselves and eat a big dinner at the lodge that night. Most of us also bought a souvenir at the gift shop. It was nice talking to some of the people who work in the area over the summer. Some of us also took a shower. I went 5 days and had used wipes to clean up but had not showered! After dinner we warmed up by the fire and headed back to our tents.
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It rained throughout the night but most of our things except the outside of the tent stayed dry. We packed everything up and headed for the ferry at 11:30 am. It was supposed to depart shortly after noon but it was delayed a lot.
Our group waiting for the ferry to load
"Sun tanning" Alaska style on the ferry deck (laying under heat lamps)
We had reservations for Mendenhall Campground but since it was getting so late due to the ferry being delayed, we made a quick decision to stay at the Driftwood. They have a free shuttle if you stay there that would pick us up from the ferry. It was also close to where the meeting spot was for Andrew and my glacier trek. Everyone in the group ordered pizza but Andrew and I decided to make some of our camping food as we had a lot left over. Some of our "emergency" food needed to be boiled over a stove so it was not convenient for camping. We will not get that kind again! The next morning Andrew and I left early to meet Above and Beyond Alaska by the tram terminal. We then loaded onto a van with 10 others (plus 2 guides) to get to the trailhead of Mendenhall Glacier. Our group was great and Above and Beyond AK provides a pack, snacks, crampons, and any other equipment needed. The hike was awesome! It was difficult but the guides know the path by heart and would help anyone in the group that needed it. I loved the challenge as it made the hike very neat before we even arrived at the glacier.
Andrew hiking up some of the rocks on the trail to the glacier
Me admiring the Mendenhall glacier when we had the first good view of it on the trail
The glacier was AMAZING! We weren't going to do this glacier trek originally but I am so glad we did. It was unlike anything I have every done or seen. We were fortunate that everyone in our group hiked quickly so we had more time to spend on the glacier. Also, the weather was very cooperative that day. The water was the bluest color I have ever seen. I really did love every minute of the glacier portion.
Andrew and me hiking on Mendenhall Glacier near Juneau, Alaska
In all, the hike lasted from 9-4 with a little bit of travel time. I would love to do it again someday. While we were doing the glacier hike, Austyn, Dayton, Kaitlin, and Tim all hiked on Mount Roberts. They hiked up and then took the tram part of the way down. That evening we ate at Hangar on the Wharf and most of us got seafood (Kaitlin got steak ;). Since Austyn had never sang karaoke before, we went to a local bar that had it. It was called the Viking Lounge and was definitely a place for the locals. Andrew and Tim got a few boo's and someone yelled "98 degrees!" (the boy band). It was fun but we did not sleep much that night as everyone's flights were early the next morning. It was a wonderful vacation!
