More trip info is coming soon, including bear stories and other wildlife encounters, a comprehensive packing list, and highlights of the trip that still make us smile.

We have much to do, including sorting through and posting pictures, writing up some stories, posting info on our packing list and food, and posting some gear reviews from some things that worked (and didn’t work so well) on our trip. We’ll be getting right on that starting tomorrow…

For now, I can tell you we had a great time enjoying the beauty of Southeast Alaska, including whales, bears, snow-capped mountains, waterfalls, hot springs, and much more. I don’t know how we’ll capture even a small bit of the fun and beauty of our trip, but we’ll try.

On Tuesday morning we boarded the MV Columbia ferry and arrived in Bellingham today. We are re-entering the busy world and it’s a little overwhelming (think driving I5 from Bellingham to Seattle in rush hour) though we’re glad to be able to get back in touch with friends and family.

Tonight we’re staying in Seattle with our friend Joe, who just returned from his own Alaska paddling adventure and we are swapping stories. One of the great things about traveling is the wonderful people we meet.

We will be getting stories and pictures up on the site starting in the next week or so, so check back soon!

Yesterday we headed up to Mt. Rainier National Park for the day, a family favorite.

Saturday we built up the boat on the lawn out back, and Mason (in front) and Kurtis (behind) tested it out to make sure everything fit right.

Yesterday we took the boat up to Bumping Lake, about an hour from Yakima, to check out the boat and get some paddling in. Dave and I had a nice paddle on our own to loosen up.

Then we swam out in our dry suits so I could get a fell for what 49 degree water is like when you’re fully protected. It was cool, but not cold, and my confidence was boosted.

Then Dave and I swamped the boat a couple of times, turned it back over and got ourselves in. We don’t have pictures of that, but it worked well. Then Dave took out my nephews and niece for a paddle across the lake. They each did a great job paddling and had a lot of fun out there. Mason went first, then Kurtis and Makayla.

We’ve got another day of visiting here, and then we head to Seattle on Wednesday to meet up with Kris and Leslie. We get on the ferry to Sitka on Friday morning!

Dave packs one of his home-made bear canisters.

Dinner, Lunch, and breakfast for the first three weeks.

Food for the first re-supply box. It’s over 100 pounds.

Three weeks of food, camping, cooking, clothing and other gear must fit in this in addition to our two bodies.

The boat is a Feathercraft K2 Expedition folding sea kayak. It’s just under 20 feet in length and is quite stable. All that’s left to put into dry bags and get ready for stuffing into the boat is the repair bag and a few odds and ends. We’re getting there!

We also plan to mail ourselves a re-supply box that we’ll pick up half way through the trip in Port Alexander, the only town on Baranof Island besides Sitka. So, we are planning to start with three weeks of food and pick up a box with the next three weeks’ segment. If we’re cooking every-other-day, then we figured on 11 breakfasts and 11 dinners for each segment.

Amounts are based on what Dave ate on a previous paddling trip in Alaska. We figured I’d eat about 2/3 to 3/4 what he ate. We double checked this by figuring out the total calories using the food calculator on FitDay. We doubled this amount, and the total is what we’ll cook for the four of us. All amounts are figured in scoops, meaning a level 1/3 cup spoonful of the indispensable MSR Folding Spoon. It serves to measure, stir and serve all our meals. We dehydrated a variety of sauces like Thai curries, Indian masala, several kinds of salsas, etc., which we’ll choose from for dinners.

Segment One – Breakfasts

Oatmeal (6 days)
Calories: ~3,700 total

• 10 scoops oats
• 1 scoop brown sugar
• 2 scoops mixed salted nuts
• 2 scoops dried berries/cherries/raisins
• 1 scoop chocolate chips

Pancakes (5 days)
Calories: ~4,265

• 10 scoops multi-grain mix
• 3 scoops oats
• 2 scoops mixed salted nuts
• 2 scoops dried berries/cherries/raisins
• 2 scoops syrup for topping
• 1.5 oz. olive oil for frying

Segment One – Dinners

Lentils & Rice (4 days)
Calories: ~3,750

• 8 scoops rice
• 5 scoops lentils, mixed green & red
• 3 scoops dried mixed vegetables
• 1 dried sauce
• 1 oz. olive oil

Couscous & Fish (1 day)
Calories: ~2,800 + fish

• 9 scoops couscous
• 3 scoops dried mixed vegetables
• 1 sauce
• 1.5 oz. olive oil
• Fresh fish

Couscous & Falafel (1 day
Calories: ~3,500

• 9 scoops couscous
• 3 scoops dried mixed vegetables
• 1 sauce
• 5 scoops falafel mix
• 1.5 oz. olive oil

Quesadillas (2 days)
Calories: ~3,700

• 8 oz. cheese
• 10 whole wheat tortillas
• 5 scoops dehydrated black beans
• 3 scoops dried mixed vegetables
• 1 sauce (salsa)
• 1.5 oz. olive oil

Quinoa & Fish (2 days)
Calories: ~2,800 + fish

• 9 scoops quinoa
• 3 scoops dried mixed vegetables
• 1 sauce
• 1.5 oz. olive oil
• Fresh catch of the day

Quinoa & Falafel (1 day)
Calories: ~ 3,600

• 9 scoops quinoa
• 3 scoops dried mixed vegetables
• 1 sauce
• 5 scoops falafel mix
• 1.5 oz. oil

Segment Two Breakfasts
Same as segment one.

Segment Two Dinners
Same as segment one, except for the quesadilla meals because we won’t be able to send ourselves cheese and tortillas and there is no store in Port Alexander.

Black Beans & Rice (2 days)
Calories: ~3,500

• 8 scoops rice
• 5 scoops black beans
• 3 scoops dried mixed vegetables
• 1 sauce
• 1 oz. olive oil

Trip Outline

• On Friday, June 27 – We’ll start our trip in Bellingham, Washington with our friends Kris and Leslie, where we’ll get on a ferry of the Alaska Marine Highway System on the Inside Passage / Southeast Alaska route. Three days later we’ll arrive in Sitka, Alaska.
• July 2 – Starting from Sitka, the current plan is to paddle around Baranof Island as well as possibly Kruzof and Catherine Islands. We have six weeks to leisurely paddle and explore many of the fjords and bays.
• August 10 – the four of us will arrive back in Sitka.
• August 12 – Stick and Leslie will leave for home, and Dave and I will then paddle up to enjoy Glacier Bay National Park for about three weeks.
• Wherever we decide to end our trip, Dave and I will hop on another ferry and make our way back to Bellingham.

Kris, better known as Stick, is Dave’s best friend from high school. Stick, Leslie, Dave and I shared a long weekend kayaking and camping on the Colorado River (Black Canyon area) last year in January, one of the coldest weekends of the winter. That was so much fun we decided to plan this trip to Alaska together. They have a good run-down of the trip details, time line, and their preparations on their website.

Where is Baranof Island and Glacier Bay?

These three days are going to be fun, as we camp on the deck of the ship, watch the glorious scenery go by, and play the first of many games of travel Scrabble with Stick and Leslie.

Now, I must get back to packing…