Trip Leader: Kevin Loughlin (and Paula M. Wynn on March 30 trip)
Participation, Skill & Fitness Level: Maximum 6 Participants of any skill or fitness level—Kayaks for some cove exploration. Motorboating with a crew member will be available for those who do not wish to kayak. We will also take jet boats up the Stikine River.
Inaccessible to most, the wonders of the vast wilderness of Southeast Alaska are brought close at hand to a maximum of 6 guests (plus two leaders) for this exciting adventure within the mosaic of islands and protected channels that make up Alaska’s Inside Passage.
Since we are not committed to a strict schedule, we can take advantage of new discoveries that we make along the way—stopping to enjoy a new arrival of birds or enjoy a magnificent Alaskan sunset—whatever opportunities may be presented to us. Adjustments may also be made for weather conditions. This area is also home to the largest spring gathering of Bald Eagles found anywhere!
Day 1
Arrival in Peterspurg—Participants will arrive throughout the day. Dinner and brief orientation to our trip. Night in Petersburg.
Day 2
Just after lunch, everyone will board the Alaska Adventurer and after a brief orientation, the mooring lines will be cast off and we’ll cruise out Wrangell Narrows onto Frederick Sound where we’ll turn south toward the mouth of the Stikine River. Within the first hour of departure, there will be opportunities for sightseeing and photography among the icebergs from LeConte Glacier. by late afternoon we’ll be anchored in Ideal Cove on Mitkof Island which will allow for some local area reconnaissance.
Day 3
Early rise today to jet boat up the Stikine River. Our goal today is to observe Bald Eagles as well as other wildlife such as Steller sea lions and harbor seal foraging on the annual spring spawn of eulachon (smelt) in the lower reaches of the river. Most of the day will be spent up the river selecting the best locations to capture the action. Early afternoon on the incoming tide we’ll be able to check the extensive grass flats for snow geese, sandhill cranes and a variety of migratory shore birds.
Day 4
Today we’ll pick up where we left off yesterday and use the information we learned to perfect our selection of locations and timing. The afternoon trip out of the river will again afford us the opportunity to check more locations for eagles and other wildlife on the flats and tributaries. We’ll also check the crab and shrimp traps that we set out yesterday, if our luck is good, we’ll have fresh shrimp and/ or crab for dinner!
Day 5
Once again we’ll be headed out early for our third segment on the Stikine River to capture the action. If all has gone well the prior day, perhaps this will be a chance to do some exploring farther up the river by jet boat. The Stikine–LeConte Wilderness Area features spectacular scenery with towering mountains and glaciers.We’ll check the shrimp traps again!
Day 6
This morning will be a somewhat more leisurely start as we haul anchor and head for the entrance to LeConte Bay while enjoying breakfast.
LeConte Bay is a fabulously beautiful steep sided fjord with LeConte Glacier at the head of the bay. LeConte Glacier is the southernmost tidewater glacier in the northern hemisphere and ‘the fastest moving ice in the world’. A very active glacier calving a multitude of icebergs, the bay is literally chocked with floating ice. The setting is a photographers dream resplendent with steep sided fjord, thousands of icebergs of all sizes, seals resting on ice floes, and a variety of sea birds. By evening we’ll once again be anchored at Ideal Cove after checking the contents of our ever present shrimp and crab traps.
Day 7
The jet boat will meet us one more time for a trip across Dry Strait and into Wrangell. Wrangell is one of the oldest non-Native settlements in Alaska. The Russians began trading furs with area Tlingit in 1811 and built a stockade named Redoubt Saint Dionysius in 1834. The island was named for Ferdinand Von Wrangel, manager of the Russian-American Co., around 1830. Wrangell has been governed by four nations: the Tlingit Nation, Russia, Britain, and America.
Wrangel has a nice display of totems and rock art petroglyphs which will provide interesting subjects for framing through the lens as well as learning more about the significance of eagles and other wildlife in the lives of the native peoples. Upon return, we’ll again have an opportunity check out the flats for new arrivals of migrants.
Day 8
This day is a ‘hip pocket’ day, one that we hold as reserve to pick up any missed action due to weather, circumstances or to just go back to a favorite location one more time. late afternoon we will return to Petersburg. Dinner in town. Night in Petersburg.
Day 9
Today will be spent in and around Petersburg exploring and photographing the wildlife and scennery. Night in Petersburg.
Day 10
Return home
A Semipalmated plover out for a stroll.
Hm..m Where to start. LeConte Bay with glaciers & harbor seals on ice. Next Frederick Sound replete with Humps, Dalls, and Orcas. Steller sealions at Yasha Is. Followed by flowers, rainforest & more Stellars at Brothers Is with solitary bubble feeding along shoreline. Brown bears on Admiralty Island with a glacier walk in Thomas Bay on Baird glacier, punctuated by arctic terns, lupine fields & dwarf fireweed. A very fine introduction to SE Alaska with a splendid crew. And last but not least, 3 life birds, Ancient Murrelets, Fork Tailed Storm Petrels and Kitlitz's Murrelets! Promise to return.
Thanks for an incredible experience!
Marc & Michele C
Pasadena, CA
This was an opportunity to experience the "real Alaska" - unaltered, undeveloped, completely natural. Instead of an orchestrated "tour", we took things as they came, as they would come- whales(of course!), salmon, halibut, eagles, murres, rockfish, black bears, curious rock formations, "pop weeds", caves, mussels- not on cue, but naturally. Good food, good fishing, knowledgeable guides were a source of reassurance and good fellowship. It's hard to think of a better way for a family to visit SE Alaska. Many thanks from the 61-year-olds on the trip!
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