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The Trip

Prince William Sound, south of Anchorage, is a premier kayaking destination, a unique gem among the crown jewels of wilderness experiences. Paddling these protected waters in sea kayaks is the perfect way to explore the stunning fjords and inlets, and to hear tidewater glaciers calve into the icy bays. The kayaks are stable, quiet, and can go places other vessels can't reach. The observant visitor may see wildlife that could include bald eagles, whales, seals, sea otters, bears, and more.

We will glide along through uninhabited bays, past towering pinnacles of rock, and through vast ice floes calved from some of the sound's tidewater glaciers. Due to the long daylight hours, we hope to have plenty of time to explore and observe.

In recent history, south central Alaska has experienced two cataclysmic events, one natural and the other caused by humans. As we ride from Anchorage to Prince William Sound in our shuttle bus, we'll see evidence of the 1964 "Good Friday" earthquake, a tremor that leveled large sections of Anchorage and left "ghost trees" standing beside bays and inlets. On our charter boat out to the paddling area, we'll see how Prince William Sound is recovering from 1989's Exxon Valdez oil spill. The bays we will paddle, however, were largely untouched by either of these disasters. While human impact is an increasing concern, we should find plenty of solitude and wilderness to explore. The rivers of ice, the mists on the bays, the ebb and flow of the tides -- all retain a timeless quality.

We will start with a service project in Eshamy Bay, off of Prince William Sound. After this, we will head out for a paddling and camping adventure. We’ll take a water taxi into the Icy Bay area and find a place to camp within Chugach National Forest where we plan to stay for four nights. From here, we will take day paddles out to see the glaciers and watch for wildlife. Once we are out in the bays we will let the weather, the tides, and any safety considerations dictate our movements. Our campsites are undeveloped, so be ready for rugged wilderness camping. This is a rain forest area and we usually experience at least some rain on our trips. With no hiking trails, walking can be challenging, but the rewards are great.

The kayaking and the scenery will be wonderful. If you've never been to Alaska before, this will be a delightful introduction -- a remote wilderness experience without heavy backpacks. You'll find that Prince William Sound has its own distinctive flavor: a gentle, intimate wilderness with richly colored mountains shrouded in mist and constantly changing glacier ice.

The Project

Within the Chugach National Forest is Alaska State Park’s Eshamy Bay Management Unit. The bureaucratic name belies the beauty of these 16,000 acres of land purchased to be a habitat preserve. An older cabin was part of this land purchase and the state park Rangers hope to eventually tear it down and rebuild a public use cabin. The initial step in this plan is to remove years of built up debris from around the site. We’ve been asked to help with this. We will find and haul the debris to the shore and then load it on a landing craft to be responsibly disposed of. There may be other jobs depending on how fast we work and what we find. The cabin will be used as a support base for the work. As there is not a developed campsite in the area, the Rangers will help create a place for us to pitch our tents.

Itinerary

The trip starts in Anchorage, after breakfast, on the morning of Tuesday, June 12, and ends back in Anchorage on the evening of June 19. You should plan on arriving in Anchorage two days early to allow for flight and baggage delays. There will be a pre-trip meeting at 10 a.m. on Monday, June 11. This is a good opportunity to meet the other trip participants and to solve any last-minute equipment challenges. We will depart early Tuesday morning from Anchorage and travel by bus to Whittier, where we will catch our charter boat out to the bay.

Our exact itinerary for the trip will be determined by our service project and the conditions in Prince William Sound during our stay there. Our plan is to start with the service project in Eshamy Bay. We’ll work the afternoon we arrive as well as the next two days. Then a water taxi will pick us up -- with our kayaks on board -- and carry us to our Icy Bay campsite. After 3.5 days of wonderful kayaking (weather permitting), our charter boat will take us back to Whittier, where we will board our shuttle bus to Anchorage.

When you are approved for the trip you may make your airline reservations to Anchorage and start thinking about accommodations there. We'll let you know about possible hotels, bed and breakfasts, or hostels after you sign up. You should try to arrive in Anchorage by June 9 if possible and no later than the afternoon of June 10. You may schedule your departure for as early as June 20 or stay on in this magnificent state for other activities.

Accommodations and Food

Sierra Club trips are designed to be a group experience rather than a guided tour, so expect to participate on a regular basis in meal preparation and clean-up. Meals will be hearty and sustaining, but generally vegetarian. We will work with you to accommodate specific dietary requirements as much as possible given our wilderness setting. However, any dietary restrictions must be discussed in detail with the leader well in advance of the trip. The first trip meal will be lunch at our service project site. The last meal will be breakfast the morning of our return to Whittier. Lunch that day will be on your own in Whittier or as we travel back to Anchorage. We'll also plan a final no-host dinner at an Anchorage restaurant for the evening we return.

Trip Difficulty

Kayaking is a wonderful way to explore the wild coastline of Alaska, but there are some very specific requirements. You must feel comfortable in a small boat with a cockpit a few inches above very deep ocean water; you must be able to sit for a couple of hours at a time with your legs straight out in front of you; and you must be able to swim in cold water, with a life jacket, if there is an emergency.

Once at our base camp, after our service project is complete, we will go on day trips to explore the surrounding fjords and glacial bays (weather and ice permitting). These trips may include up to 15 miles of paddling. This will include many breaks as well as chances to get out of our kayaks for lunch and rest stops. Weather and group capability may change our plans. You need not be an advanced kayaker to enjoy this trip, but it would be helpful to have kayaking experience and be physically fit. You should be experienced in wilderness camping in wet weather, and comfortable around water. Success at sea kayaking depends more on stamina and rhythm than on strength and particular paddling skills. Stamina depends on your general physical fitness; discomfort, therefore, can be minimized by exercising your core muscles as well as your arms, shoulders, and lower back before the trip.

Expect to do a lot of walking and carrying of equipment up and down the beach each day, whether it’s the debris for our service project or our kayaks and gear. Prince William Sound has some of the most extreme tidal differences in North America -- up to a 20-foot difference between high and low tides at this time of year, which can translate to a long walk to secure boats and gear. This is perhaps the most difficult part of the trip. You must be able and willing to work as part of a team. In addition to your personal gear, expect to carry your share of the 80-pound kayaks and community equipment and food.

In general, the trip's degree of difficulty has to do with the weather and other physical conditions. For example, paddling into a stiff wind off the glaciers can make a few miles feel like many more. Several days in a row of non-stop, heavy rain can feel stressful as can persistently sunny weather with an abundance of mosquitoes. The best strategy is to relax, be flexible, laugh and understand that it is all part of the Alaska experience!

This trip requires leader approval. To qualify, you must:
• Be at least 14 years old,
• Have the stamina to paddle about six hours a day,
• Be able to swim for up to 10 minutes in a lifejacket in 50-60 degree water in case of emergency,
• Be comfortable with camping and functioning for extended periods in cold, wet weather -- or warm weather with mosquitoes.

Equipment and Clothing

While out in Prince William Sound, we will be camping every night. You will need to bring your own tent, sleeping bag, and pad. It is absolutely essential that your tent be waterproof. Extended periods of rain are possible, and staying dry can become a serious safety issue. Suggested rain gear is jacket and pants (coated nylon or Helly Hansen type) versus a poncho.

Detailed lists of recommended clothing and equipment will be sent to participants after they register for the trip. Most of this is similar to what you would use on a backpacking trip, but a few more items are necessary to stay dry on the water. Our footwear on sea kayak trips includes wearing "Wellie" (Wellington-style rubber) boots in our boats, as we launch and land in water that is ankle to calf deep. Do not plan on bringing cotton clothing as that will chill you when wet and refuse to dry in the salt air. Personal equipment should be thoroughly field-tested before the trip.

References

• Delorme Atlas of Alaska. Available in the travel section of most major bookstores, you'll find this trip's general area on page 72.
• Twardock, Paul, Kayaking and Camping in Prince William Sound.
  
  The trip leaders will provide copies of a topo map at the pre-trip meeting in Anchorage.
  

Conservation

Prince William Sound is a vast, delightful wilderness, but even here the impacts of increasing numbers of human visitors are readily apparent. Attention to details makes a big difference, so we will follow Leave No Trace principles on our trip. Our setting -- among vast ice sheets and tidewater glaciers -- will lend itself well to informative discussions on the effects of global warming. We will also learn how to minimize the disruptions to wildlife that our passage may cause. We will learn more about the effects of the Exxon Valdez oil spill.

Sierra Club National Outings is an equal-opportunity provider and will operate under permits from Alaska State Parks and the Chugach National Forest.

Travel in Alaska and the Arctic

Sierra Club outings in Alaska and Arctic Canada are special experiences in true wilderness, but they also carry an element of risk. Trip locales are often remote, away from the amenities of civilization, including sophisticated medical care and immediate evacuation possibilities. Many of our Alaska and Arctic Canada trips now carry satellite phones, but even with this technology, communication with the outside world can be difficult and emergency assistance can be days away. Weather in Alaska and Arctic Canada is unpredictable, and inclement weather can be severe. Among other hazards are cold river and stream crossings, tidal activity, calving glaciers, the psychological effects of remoteness, and the presence of large wild animals. You're in good hands, though, so don't worry: Your trip leaders have vast experience in the Last Frontier, and they'll provide all the guidance you need.

Trip Price

See the How to Apply for an Outing section for more details on registering for this trip and details about our Reservation and Cancellation Policy.

The payment of a deposit does not confirm you as a member on the trip. Participants must be approved by the trip leader. After signing up for this trip, you will be sent a confirmation packet containing approval materials (Participant Approval Questionnaire, Medical Form, Liability Release Form). Each applicant (including those on the waitlist) must fill out these forms and promptly mail them to the trip leader. The leader will review the approval materials and notify you of your acceptance in a timely manner.

Staff

Leader:

Rebecca Dameron began her sea kayaking experience on a Sierra Club trip to Alaska in 2006 and was hooked. Since then she has kayaked in the Everglades and elsewhere in Florida, Virginia, Georgia, North Carolina, Iceland, Chile, New Zealand and Scotland. She loves experiencing the quiet and the power of travelling by kayak, and is particularly enthusiastic when her trips include service. Rebecca is trained as a Wilderness EMT and hopes not to use her skills! When she is not out kayaking or hiking, you can reach Rebecca at: E-mail: becdameron@cox.net

Assistant Leader:

Jan Lockie has been an outdoor guide for over 17 years, leading paddling, backpacking and wilderness trips in her home state of California, as well as Alaska, Canada and other outdoor destinations. She is a certified Recreation Therapist and Wilderness First Responder who enjoys introducing people to the wonders of the outdoors. Working with Wilderness Inquiry, Environmental Traveling Companions and the Sierra Club, Jan is most content when she is in the wilderness, experiencing nature and the companionship of other outdoor enthusiasts.

E-mail: jan@janlockie.com

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General Notes About Sierra Club Trips

• Carbon Offsets
• Carpooling
• Electronic Devices
• Equipment
• How to Apply for a Trip
• Leader Gratuities
• Liability Release and Assumption of Risk
• Medical Issues
• Non-discrimination Statement
• Participant Approval
• Reservation and Cancellation Policy
• Seller of Travel Disclosure
• Travel Insurance
• Trip Feedback
• Wilderness Manners